


Beauty & the Beast

by themagnificent_ME



Category: Fairy Tales - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-16
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-11-10 01:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themagnificent_ME/pseuds/themagnificent_ME
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of Beauty and the Beast.<br/>When Mathieu and his grandmother run into financial trouble Mathieu goes to find his father who had broken off all contact with them and when he does he finds he surprise of his life and the love of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Book Store

**_Beauty & The Beast_ **

_Once upon a time in a faraway land a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired the prince was spoiled selfish and unkind. But then one winter’s night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty is found within, and when he dismissed her again the old woman’s ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologise but it was too late for she had seen there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. At first the beast brought many women to the castle and tried to earn their love. And though many times he was successful he could never bring himself to return their love or even truly care about these women, the only thing he cared about was the chance that they might break the curse. With every failed attempt the prince grew angrier, more hateful and... more violent . Soon it began that when the women would tell him that they loved him and once again the curse was not broken the prince in his anger would kill them. So soon the women stopped coming to the castle for fear of this terrible Beast and what he would do to them if they failed to break his curse.  Giving up all hope of ever breaking this monstrous curse the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose the enchantress had offered was truly an enchanted rose which would bloom until his 21 st year. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell then the spell would be broken if not he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years past he fell into despair and lost all hope for who could ever love so hideous a beast._

_oOo  
_

Mathieu stepped out of the small cottage he lived in and headed into town towards the bookshop he works in as he walks through town he says hello to many of the people even stopping to play skip rope a bit with some little girls, before continuing his morning trek. As he walked past the bakers he stopped to buy himself a couple of rolls one for his breakfast and one for his lunch. “Mathieu, bonjour how is your Gran doing?” asked the plump lady who ran the small store.

“Sh..She’s doing well Madam, th..thank you for a..asking.” Matthew blushed shyly.

_Mathieu’s father Francis, had worked at the castle of the Prince and until Matt was 6 years old he had lived there with his father as well. But then his father had suddenly decided to send him to live with his Grandmother. Mathieu father had sent him away for fear that the prince would do something to his beloved son. For the Prince had taken to getting his amusement by harassing the servants and their children and after one particular nasty incident where the prince had nearly beaten three of the servants to death Francis fearing that the next person the prince decided to toy with would be his precious son so he had sent him to live with his elderly mother._

“That’s good. Now tell me has the book store gotten any new books you think my little Jacques might like?”

“We got an new one in called Jack and the Bean Stalk it’s fascinating, there’s a boy who buy some magic beans and a giant-“ Mathieu replied quickly losing his shyness when discussing the book, before the baker yelled at his wife.

“Marie! The bagels!” His loud voice bellowed from somewhere in the back of the bakery.

“Well put that on hold I’ll send Jacques down later to pick it up.

“I will” Mathieu called as he started back towards the book store.

Mathieu walked towards his job happily munching on his roll unaware that he was being watched. Alfred stared at Matthews back as he walked towards the bookstore lust clear in his eyes, as they follow Mathieu’s ass down the street. When he stopped to help up a little boy who had fallen down Alfred’s smile grew Mathieu would be his. He would get that naive little boy in his bed if it was the last thing he did. He would have him wriggling underneath him begging for more and calling out his name as he pounded his manhood into Mathieu’s tight little hole. He felt heat begin to pool in his stomached at these thoughts. But his lustful thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone calling his name. “Alfred!” He turned around to see Im Yong - Soo running at him holding his gun and a game bag. “I got the stuff Alfred. So were ready to go now right?” Alfred looked back to see that Mathieu had left so he nodded. “Sure, let’s go Yong - Soo.”

oOo

The bell rang as Mat opened the door and walked into the small book shop. “Ah Mathieu good morning. How’s your gran?” The old man who owned the shop greeted Mathieu.

“Sh..she’s feeling much better mo..monsieur; p...please thank your wife for the soup she gave us y...yesterday.” Mathieu replied blushing shyly

“No problem, no problem.” The old shop keeper replied as he laughed good naturedly at the shy boy.

“Ah, the beakers wife asked me to put a hold on the new book we got in the one about the giant. She says that she’ll send Jacques to pick it up this afternoon.”

“All right, I’ll put that on hold while you clean the store and then I’ve got a few deliveries I need you to make.”

“Y..yes sir” Mathieu went to the back of the store to get the cleaning supplies and don his apron.

When Mathieu had finished cleaning and straightening the store he turned to the old shop keeper “I’m done cleaning Monsieur he went over to pick up the small pile of books wrapped in brown paper waiting to be delivered.

oOo

            Matthew had just finished delivering the last of the books and was heading back to the book shop when suddenly a dark figure suddenly loomed in front of the shy boy.

“HEY...uhhh...Mattie! What are you up to” Alfred leered at the boy forgetting for a moment his name.

“Oh.....um I-I was just umm...finishing delivering books.”

“Well if you’re done.” Alfred wrapped one of his arms around Matthew’s shoulders “We should totally head down to the bar and you can look at all my awesome trophies and you can see what a great hero I am!!” Alfred threw his 100 watt smile at the boy. But instead of the boy smiling and agreeing to what Alfred wanted he shrugged of the arm of the “hero” and took a step away. A...actually I have t..to get back to work. S..so I can’t. S..sorry!” And with that the boy turned around and all but ran from Alfred who just dumbly stared after him.

            Had that just happened? Had Matthew just turned him down? HIM! The Hero! The most important person in the village!!

“DUDE!” Yong-Su shouted in his ear. “You just got rejected!”

oOo

Matthew ran, he ran all the way to the bookstore in order to get away from Alfred and his unwanted attention. When he got through the door he sunk down beside it and began to pant and shake from his long run.

            “Mathieu! Are you all right” exclaimed the old book seller seeing the young man sitting by the door.

“I...I’m fine” the boy replied a red blush staining his cheek at causing the old man to worry about him. “I just ran b...back.”

“Well than go to the back and take your lunch break and then you can clean again and then go home.”

Mathieu smiled timidly up at the old man. “Thank you, ummmm d...do you mind if I read that book I like? The Polar Bear King.”

“That one. But you’ve read it so many times!” the old man said laughing.

“I..I know but I like it. I...it’s my favourite!”

“Ha ha! Then it’s yours!”

“S..sir!”

“Think of it as a bonus for being such a good worker!”

“Th..thankk you sir!”

The old man laughed again. “Never you mind about thanks boy you’ve earned it! Now go out back and take your brake!”

“Yes sir!” Matthew said beaming at the old book seller before scurrying out back to eat his lunch and enjoy his new book.

After lunch he quickly finished his cleaning duties and headed home with a cheerful wave to the old man still happy about his new book.


	2. A Proposal and a Beast

**_Chapter 2_ **

            Mathieu opened the door and walked into the small cottage he shared with his grandmother. “Gran, I’m home! Mathieu called into the living room. He smiled when he saw she was asleep by the fire a blanket slipping off her lap. He sighed happily and walked over to her and tucked the blanket more firmly onto her lap. The movement woke the old lady.

“Mathieu, lad how was work today?”

Mathieu smiled at his grandmother she saw so sweet.

“It was good; I got a new book as a bonus.”

“Really? What book? Maybe you can read it to me.”

“The Polar Bear King.” Since his grandmother was all most blind he often read her the books he got.

“Ahhhh, I remember that tale. Once upon a time in a kingdom of snow and ice. I always loved that one.” The old lady chuckled.

“Yes, I love it to! I got it because I liked it so much.”

“Oh, well-“

Suddenly an abrupt and firm knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Mathieu stood up and walked over to the door. “Hello?” He asked as he opened the door a crack.

“Good evening sir.” A straight backed man with a serious face and wearing the uniform of the guard of the lord who owned the land his cottage and the town was situated on. “I’m afraid that your taxes are late and that through the graciousness of our lord; he has given you three more weeks in which to pay your taxes. After which your cottage will be taken.

Mathieu stared at the man for a moment before he was able to answer. “Ah, umm y..yes I...I understand.”

“Very well sir. Good evening.”  And with that the man turned on his heel and walked away.

Mathieu slowly closed the door and leaned his head against the cool wood of the door and sighed. Three weeks! Three weeks and then they’d lose the cottage. He couldn’t earn enough money in three weeks to pay his taxes! Even if he didn’t buy any food he still couldn’t earn enough! What could he do?

“Mathieu who was that?” his grandmother called

“It was just someone asking for directions.” He answered. “I think it’s time we went to bed. And I’ll start the story tomorrow night.”

His grandmother gave him an odd look. He smiled at her hoping the look reassured her. “All right. Help me up Mattie.”

oOo

After Matthew had put his grandmother to bed he sat on his bed to think about what he could do. He didn’t make enough money to pay his taxes by then! Even if he didn’t buy food for the next three weeks he wouldn’t make enough to pay them! He had paid his taxes so far on the money he had gotten from his Papa but he had stopped sending Mathieu money all most four years ago.

Wait! His Papa if he went to him he would surly help him! After all he was still his Papa! Surly, surly he would help him! He could ask the old man at the book store to look after his grandmother. The old man was nice and had looked after his grandmother before when he had delivered books to a count that lived a few days journey away! And the castle was only about a half a day’s journey away by horse.

 But what would he tell his grandmother? He had been forbidden to go to the castle before and his grandmother would worry herself sick! What could he tell her! Wait he could tell her he was going deliver a book! He’d done it before and she had no reason not to believe him! He’d never really lied to her before!

That was when the guilt set in. How could he lie to his grandmother? She was all he really had! How could he do this! After all she did technically have something to really worry about. The prince, he was something that was very dangerous. But he didn’t have a choice. It was go see his Papa or lose his home. Mathieu was determined. So with his mind made up Mathieu went to bed.

oOo

The next day he got up extra early and walked quickly into town to see the old book seller. He got to the store a little before it was supposed to open. He knocked on the door to get the man’s attention. “Mathieu, my boy what are you doing here!” The old man exclaimed surprised to see him so early.

“Sir, I have a favour to ask. I hate to ask it but I really must go see my Papa. It’s very important. I must leave today, before noon. And I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind giving me the next two days and today off and if you could keep an eye on my grandmother while I’m away.” Mathieu took a deep breath he had never spoken so fast in his life. “Please sir. It’s important.

“Of course you can have the time off Mathieu. And I’d be glad to look after your grandmother she is a sweet lady after all.” The man said with a laugh. ”Now you go home get ready and spend what time you can with your grandmother before you leave.”

“Thank you sir” the gratitude was obvious in his voice. “Thank you” he called as he left the shop and headed back towards his home.

Once he got back home he began to prepare for his journey. As soon as he had gotten a bag packed with was his cloths and finished had preparing packages of provisions for his journey. He settled into his favourite chair to read for an hour before he woke his grandmother. After he woke her they would have breakfast with her and read her the first chapter of The Polar Bear King and then leave.

oOo

Outside Mathieu’s cottage in a small glade a wedding party had been set up. Alfred looked over the set up with a confident smirk.

“Man! Mathieu’s going to get the surprise of his life!” Yong-Soo said looking at the wedding party and then over a little way’s to Mathieu’s small cottage.

Alfred smirked some more “Yup, this is his lucky day!”

Alfred turned to the rest of the wedding party and cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “I’d like to thank you all for coming to my wedding.” Some of the men gave him thumbs up and shouts of congratulations while some women and a few men broke into tears. “First I suppose I should go in and propose to Mattie.” He laughed. Everyone burst out laughing with him. Alfred turned on his heel and strode towards the cottage.

oOo

Mathieu had been sitting and reading for a few minutes when he heard a knock on the door interrupted him. He sighed and put the book down on the table marking the page he was on. He opened the door a crack “Hello?” he asked.

“Mattie!” Alfred exclaimed when Mathieu opened the door.

“Can I help you?” Mathieu shuddered upon hearing the nickname come from Alfred’s lips.

“I came here” Alfred leered pulling the door open and stepping in uninvited. “To make all your dreams come true!”

“What do you know of my dreams Alfred?” Mathieu asked backing up as Alfred advanced on him.

“Plenty” Alfred exclaimed. “Picture this, a rustic hunting lodge,” he plunked down on a chair kicked off his boots and put his feet on the table right on top of Mathieu’s book. “My latest kill roasting on the fire. My little wife messaging my feet,” he wiggled his toes. “While the little ones play with dogs on the floor.” Alfred stood up again leaning towards Mathieu. “We’ll have six or seven.”

“Dogs?” Mathieu questioned.

“No Mattie!” Alfred straightened up. “Strapping young boys, Like Me!” Alfred puffed out his chest.

 Mathieu grabbed his book before Alfred could do anymore harm to it. “Imagine that” he murmured as he headed towards the bookshelf. Where was Alfred getting these ideas? They had hardly talked to each other! And when they had Mathieu was sure he had given no signs that indicated he wanted to be in any kind of a relationship with the man!

“And you know who that little wife will be?” Alfred questioned as Mathieu set the book on the shelf his face contorting into a look of horror. The man was nearly ten years older than him!

“You Matt!” Alfred stated placing both his hands on either side of the shorter man’s head.

“Alfred!” Mathieu exclaimed putting on a strained smile. “I, I’m speechless.” He ducked under Alfred’s arm and behind a chair. “I don’t know what to say!”

“Pfft! Well that’s easy!” Alfred exclaimed knocking the chair over and backing Mathieu up till his back was pressed against the door. “Say you’ll marry me!” Alfred put his hands once again to either side of Mathieu’s head putting all his weight on them.

“I, I’m s..sorry Alfred but I..I” Mathieu felt around desperately for the door handle as Alfred leaned towards him, lips puckered for a kiss. He found the Handle “I just don’t deserve you!” He gasped out as he opened the door quickly. The loss of support caused Alfred to tumble out of the house down the steps and into a river. Mathieu slammed the door shut before he noticed Alfred’s boots. He grabbed them opened up the door again and threw them outside before once again slamming the door.

oOo

“So,” Yong-Soo leaned towards Alfred, “how’d it go?” Alfred’s hand shot forward and grabbed the collar of Yong-Soo’s shirt.

“Mattie will be my WIFE!” he snarled before throwing him into the river as he stood and stormed away.

oOo

Mathieu peeked outside to make sure Alfred had left before quickly closing and locking the door. That stupid arrogant hoser! What was wrong with him why, why he shou-

“Mathieu” his grandmother called from her room upstairs interrupting his thoughts, “is something wrong? I heard some banging!”

“Nothing Grandma! Alfred just came for a quick visit and knocked over a chair.” He called up to her. He walked over to the fallen chair and righted it. Well his grandmother was up now so he might as well get the day started.

oOo

He and his grandmother had finished their breakfast of pancakes drowned in maple syrup, Mathieu had cleaned up and now that his grandmother was settled comfortably in her seat by the fire he walked over to the book shelf and took down his new book.

 “Mathieu, don’t you have work to day?” His grandmother questioned him.

“Actually, I have to deliver a book to a count about a day’s half days journey from here. So I’ll be gone for most of today and probably the next two as well. So I thought I’d read the first chapter of The Polar Bear King to you and then leave.” Mathieu lied as he took down the book and sat across from her.

“This is rather sudden.”

“I know but you don’t have to worry, the old man who owns the book store said he would come and look after you and I won’t be gone very long.”

“All right but be careful. I feel a storm coming on.”

“Don’t worry Grandma” Mathieu smiled at her, “I will be. Now let’s start shall we.”His Grandmother nodded. “Once upon a time far far away, a magical adventure took place in a land of eternal ice and snow known to all as the winter land....”

oOo

Mathieu looked around himself nervously as he rode Hanatamago onwards. They had entered the forest that surrounded their destination a little while ago but the road that led to the castle had become old and overgrown. He had missed it and had, had to ask for directions from a nearby inn. So now he was riding through the eerie forest at night while the first winter’s snow fell around him.

This wasn’t right! He thought looking around again. The road should be more used than this! What had happened since he had left his father? Suddenly his head shot up had he just heard a howl? No he couldn’t of. There wouldn’t be any wolves here. Would ther- He heard it again! Suddenly a movement to his right caught his attention, wolves! He kicked Hanatamago into a gallop hoping to out run them. As he and the horse took off the wolves took off after them.

He looked behind him, oh god! There were nine of them and they were gaining! He looked up again startled when suddenly the forest abruptly ended and a tall gate loomed out of the darkness. He urged Hanatamago through it before he quickly dismounted and slammed the gate shut separating himself from the wolves. He watched in rapt fascination as the wolves threw themselves against the gate trying to get at their desired meal for nearly fifteen minutes before they gave up and left.

He then turned around and gasped. He was here! That was the gate to the castle! But, but this couldn’t be right he thought frantically as he looked around. The stone drive leading to the castle was overgrown with weeds and the castle itself looked dark and abandoned. What could have happened here? He wondered as he led Hanatamago towards the great double doors that led into the palace.

oOo

From a window high in the castle a dark form watched as the young man led his horse towards the entrance. So another fool come to see the beast hmmmm. He had to make sure he gave his new guest a proper welcome!

Mathieu slowly pushed one of the doors open a crack and stepped inside. Despite outward appearances the inside was fairly well maintained if a little dusty and worn.

He herd quite whispers somewhere and starched his ears to listen.

“Not a word” he heard a hissed whisper.

“But Arthur, the poor child is lost!” an answer, a little louder than the warning, but not by much.

“Not. A. Word. Frog.” Was the snarled reply.

“Hello?” Mathieu called into the gloomy darkness. No response. He picked up a candle holder he had noticed on a table by an old clock “Please I’m looking for my father!” some more muttering but nothing he could understand. He pulled off his hood shaking out his golden locks. “Please! His name is Francis he used to work here!” He heard a loud gasp from beside him he spun around but saw no one when suddenly the candle holder spoke.

“Mon Mathieu!” Mathieu screamed and dropped the holder quickly trying to take a step away but tripping and falling on his ass. “Mon Mathieu! Mon Lapin what are you doing here the candle spoke again with a voice that Mathieu knew to be his father. And using a name only his Papa had ever used for him.

“Papa?” He said slowly crawling forward on his hands and knees. “Papa, wh..what happened to you? The candle holder stood up using two of its holders as arms. It slowly hopped towards Mathieu.

“Oh mon Mathieu! Mon lapin what are you doing here? No never mind it is not important! You must leave! Leave now before –

“Francis” a cold voice filled with mock cheerfulness said from behind him “Your son has just arrived and already you are trying to kick him out!” Mathieu was frozen in fear. He knew this voice. It was rougher now and seemed more like the growl of a beast than but he still remembered the princes voice. “Really now, what terrible manners,” the prince tutted. Slowly Mathieu turned around to see that behind him stood a huge white beast. The beast looked down at Mathieu and reached a large paw forward to stroke his trembling cheek. “He must stay here as a guest.”

Ivan had reached the bottom of the stairs when he had heard Mathieu ask for his father and say that it was Francis. He had all most laughed not someone to stare at the beast but some poor little boy looking for his daddy. He would have to invite him to stay a while. Ivan was sure as he watched the little man crawl towards the candle stick he had dropped that he would provide him with many different forms of entertainment.


	3. Old Friends

**_Chapter 3_ **

Mathieu stared up in horror at the beast who had just declared that he would be his “guest” for the next little while. A little while that he didn’t have!  He couldn’t stay here! His grandmother expected him back in two days!  He all so had to get them the money for the taxes! And he doubted he would get any here!

His vision began to blur as these thoughts ran through his mid a mile a minute, his breathing got shallower and shallower as the panic filled him, until suddenly his world went black.

oOo

Ivan giggled looking at the boy kneeling on the ground before him. Watching the obvious emotions crossing over the boy’s face, fear horror and finally panic before he fainted. Ivan giggled again looking at the boy’s prone form.

oOo

Francis’s thoughts however were not so happy and even more panicked than his son’s. He couldn’t let the prince just do whatever he wanted he wanted to his sweet Mathieu! His patit lapin! What could he do? How could he save his son? Suddenly a thought occurred to him. It could put his patit lapin in more danger but it could all so give him the time needed to escape!

“Ivan! The,” Francis hesitated fear for his son making it difficult to speak. “The curse never said what gender the one you fell in love with had to be!” He said desperate for his son.

Ivan slowly turned to look at Francis. His lips curved into a predatory smile. A habit developed from when he was human and would put on a childish smile when angry. But since the curse had changed his outward appearance to match his insides the childish smile had been replaced with a predatory one.

“The rose...the rose it’s a....about to wilt...”Francis trailed off too scared to continue.

Ivan’s smile changed from threatening to thoughtful. “What is one last try, da? Arthur!” the small clock jumped surprised at suddenly being addressed, “go and prepare the guest room. Make it the one, with the view of the south west corner of the garden.”

“Of course your majesty!” Arthur responded bowing low before scurrying off.

“Francis,” Ivan turned to smirk at the candle, “you will go and inform Tino that there will be a guest joining me for supper.”

“Yes your majesty.” Francis said bowing as he backed away; throwing quick nervous glances at his son.

Once he was alone Ivan inspected the boy walking in circles around the boy`s prone form. The boy had a nice figure from behind; his frame was slim and delicate looking and his ass was perfectly round and looked as if it had been made for the single purpose of tempting men. Once Ivan had finished inspecting the boy’s back he rolled him over to inspect his front.

Slowly he reached one of his large paws forward and brushed the boy’s hair out of his face. Ivan’s breath stopped, he was beautiful. If there were angels in this god forsaken world than surely, surely he was looking at one.

Ivan could see his father in him but unlike his Francis’s sharp face Matthews was softened into a heart shaped one. His lips were plump and soft looking, the kind that was made for giving gentle loving kisses. There was no sign of facial hair even though it was late in the day and Ivan wondered if the boy couldn’t grow any.  The boy had high cheek bones and his nose turned up a little at the end keeping him from being too perfect. His lashes were thick and long brushing his round cheek and his hair was soft. In his unconscious state the boy had a look of kindness and innocence, something that was very rare in Ivan’s castle and something he had not seen for a very long time. Ivan slowly stroked the cheek of the small man. It was so soft like the petals on a sunflower.

Ivan decided that he liked this little boy and he wanted him all for himself. Slowly he picked the boy up he was so light! Too light, the boy could not be eating right. Ivan would have to make sure that that was fixed. He settled the boy into a comfortable position into the crook of his elbow and then headed towards the south west corner of the castle; he had given the servants enough time to prepare for their guest.

As he walked down one dark dimly lit hall the small boy began to move waking from unconsciousness. Ivan stared directly ahead not bothering to look at the child in his arms until he heard the gasp that signalling that the boy was awake.

“Where, where are you taking me?” Boy asked, panic evident in his voice.

“To your new room.” Ivan said tightening his hold so the boy couldn’t get down. “You will like it. It has a nice view of the gardens.”

“Th..the gardens? Aren’t, aren’t you going to put me in the dungeons?” Matthew asked confused he had been sure that he was going to be put into the dungeon.

“You would prefer the dungeon then, da?” Ivan questioned smirking.

“N..NO!” Mathieu said fear and desperation slipping into his voice.

Ivan’s smile grew some. “Good, I suppose the servants would be disappointed at having prepared your room only to find out you prefer the dungeon.” He whispered stroking the little blonde’s hair. He felt him Tense. “Oh, is the little boy scared?” Ivan questioned, running his paw along Mathieu’s Jaw.

Ivan stopped in front of a door. “This is your room.” He set Mathieu down and opened the door before he turned starting to walk away, before suddenly turning back. “You will join me for dinner, da.” He didn’t wait for Mathieu to answer but disappeared into the dark castle.

Mathieu stared into the hall before slowly turning around and entering into a brightly lit room. Slowly he closed the door. He put his head on the cool surface of the door and felt slow tears work their way down his face leaving two wet trails. He collapsed to the floor curling up into the fetal position and letting the sobs take over his body.

oOo

Mathieu didn’t know how long he had lain there, crying but eventually his sobs were interrupted by a knock on the door. Slowly he stood up and slowly opened the door a crack.

“Hello?” he questioned, peaking out the dark hallway. A look of confusion passed over his face when he saw nothing, forgetting in his distress at being the beast’s prisoner, the form his father had taken.

“Excuse me.” A gentle voice said from around his feet, followed by the clinking of china as a tea pot followed by a creamer and a sugar bowl and a small cup hopped into his new room. “I thought you might like a cup of tea to help you settle in.” The tea pot had the same voice that had spoken to him not moments ago.

“T..Tino?” Mathieu whispered recognising the voice of the housekeeper from when he lived here. “Bu..but you’re, you’re a tea pot!” Mathieu exclaimed staring at the piece of porcelain.

“Yes I know, Mathieu.” Tino replied as he bent foreword a pouring a hot stream of tea into the small cup. “Four years ago an old women came to the castle seeking shelter from a storm but the prince turned her away. Turns out she was an enchantress, when she saw how cruel the prince was she cursed the whole castle.” Tino explained leaving out the part about Ivan learning to love and the reason Mathieu was in this room and not the dungeon. “Besides it’s not all bad. We still have each other.” Seeing that this still hadn’t cheered the young man up Tino decided to try taking his mind off of the cures. “You remember mine and Berwald’s son Peter right?” Tino nudged the cup towards Mathieu.

“Peter!” Mathieu picked the cup up and looked at him in surprised.

“HEY MATTIE!” Peter exclaimed “WANNA SEE ME DO A TRICK.” Before Matthew could answer the small cup held his breath and the tea in his cup began to bubble.

“Peter!” Tino scolded his son. Mathieu giggled, it was obvious that even though his appearance had changed Peter was still the hyper kid he had been when Mathieu had lived in the palace. “Now Mathieu, I have to go help Berwald prepare dinner. So I’ll leave you in Felix’s capable hands. See you in a little while dear.”

Matthew watched as the tea set hopped back out the door, wondering who this Felix was. When suddenly, the huge wardrobe that had been standing in the corner of his room moved Mathieu squeaked, there had been someone in the room when he had been bawling his eyes out!

“Well,” the wardrobe spoke. “Let’s like see what I got in my drawers. You look about the same size of the girl who was here last so the dresses should fit. Oh and don’t worry the girl had like totally good taste so you like don’t have to worry about anything being like really ugly.” The wardrobe chattered on as he opened his doors revealing several dresses. ”You’re like totally cute so you’ll probably look good in anything anyway.” Suddenly he pulled out a bright red dress. “Oooo you’ll look like totally hot in this one!” The wardrobe smiled at him.

“Uuu...ummm I...I’m a, a boy and ummm I, I’m not going to dinner.” Mathieu stuttered, why was the wardrobe, Felix trying to get him to wear a dress?

“Dude, what does it matter if you’re like a guy the dres- wait did you way you weren’t like gonna go to dinner?” Felix interrupted himself staring at the young man incredulously. “Buy you like gotta go! If you don’t the master will get totally mad!”

“All the same,” Mathieu swallowed trying to appear braver than he felt. “I’m not going. “

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal the small clock. “Excuse me sir but dinner is served.”


	4. Dinner and a Dress

**_Chapter 4_ **

Ivan paced the room waiting for Mathieu to arrive for super. He had been waiting a good 15 minutes and STILL the boy was not here!

“Little Matvey is very late, Da.” Ivan said his voice sickly sweet.

Tino looked up from where he had been trying to comfort a desolate Francis who was slumped in the corner his back to the room.

“Well it has been a rather traumatic day for him.” Tino said trying to calm the angry prince down.

“Then Matvey should eat, it will make him feel better” Ivan smiled, looking even more terrifying than usual.

“Maybe he should be allowed to eat in his room just for tonight, while he settles in and adjusts.” Tino said in a calm low voice. “After all he just learnt that his father was turned into a candle holder.”

“Little Matvey should join me for supper it will help him adjust faster.”

“ADJUST FASTER?” Francis cried turning around to glare at the beast. “My son has just become your PRISONER and learned that everyone he knew from his childhood is now some talking house hold ITEM! AND YOU WANT HIM TO ADJUST FASTER!” Francis screamed waxy tears running down his cheeks.

Ivan was silent for a few moments staring at the angry candle stick in shock.

“Da” he finally responded slowly advancing towards Francis his face growing dark with anger.

Before things could turn ugly though the door slowly creaked open, everyone spun around anxious to see if it was Mathieu. But to the disappointment of some and the joy of others the one who slowly entered the dining room was Arthur, the small table clock.

“Arthur,” the clock jumped when Ivan growled his name. “Where is little Matvey?”

The clock began to shake “W...well, u....ummmm h..he” Arthur stuttered but couldn’t seem to actually seem to say anything.

“Da?” Ivan leaned forward ready to smash the stupid clock if it didn’t hurry up and tell him where his sweet little Matvey was.

“H...he, he’s not coming” the clock finally wailed.

Ivan stood there in shock for a few minutes, not understanding that someone had actually disobeyed him.

Tino and Francis watched as Ivan stood there stunned for a few moments. They watched in growing fear for the poor child who dared to defy the prince as his face changed from confusion to anger.

Ivan roared and crashed out of the room down and the hall, heading towards Mathieu’s room.

oOo

“You have to go! Please” Felix said, desperate and worried for the boy and how his master was going to react, to the boy denying him.

“I don’t care! I won’t go and eat dinner with him!” tears were once again beginning to glisten in Mathieu’s eyes. “I hate him!” he whispered.

Felix looked sadly down at the sweet boy ready to comfort him and try to get him to go down to dinner when the door burst open in a shower of splinters. Matthew covered his head with his arms to protect his face from the splinters. When he slowly removed his arms and looked up it was into the snarling white face of Ivan.

“Matvey is not yet ready for dinner?”  The beast asked in a sugary voice. “Why?” slowly he turned his head towards the wardrobe. “Perhaps it is Felix’s fault. Maybe I should punish him.” The beast edged closer to the wardrobe who was currently trying to become one with the wall.

“N..NO!” Mathieu shouted he couldn’t let Felix or anyone else suffer because he had refused the prince.

“No then why are you not ready little Matvey?” Ivan turned back to watch the boy his head cocked curiously to the side. How easy it was to manipulate this boy and so much fun as well.

“I....I d....don’t feel well.” Mathieu stuttered trembling with fear.

“Then Matvey should eat.” Ivan smiled moving closer to the boy, “you will join me for supper da.” Once again it wasn’t a question.

“N..no, I..I won’t” All though he was scared Mathieu still refused to join the beast for supper.

Ivan grabbed the boys chin in one massive paw and tilted his head towards him, forcing Mathieu to look him in the eye.

“You will join me for dinner and you will dress appropriately or I will drag you down stairs and you will eat naked.” Ivan said in a gentle voice. He reached his other claw towards Mathieu’s shirt collar. “I will even help you start changing.” Slowly he ran one of his claws down Mathieu’s shirt ripping it. “There. You will join me in ten minutes Da.”

And with that Ivan turned leaving the room and the trembling boy.

oOo

Ten minutes later the door to the dining room opened once again, this time revealing a blushing Mathieu in a red dress. The silk bodice was edged in cream lace and was laced up the middle with a cream ribbon, the large red silk of the skirt parted to reveal a cream petticoat with red lace along the hem. Ivan smiled when he saw the boy slowly enter his head turned down angry tears collecting in the corner of his violet eyes.

“Come here little Matvey.” The large beast purred. Mathieu didn’t move. Ivan raised his fist and slammed it down onto the table. The wood cracked and splintered with the force of the blow. Mathieu jumped and slowly walked over to the huge beast, stopping just in front of him. Ivan smiled and walked around the trembling boy, nodding his approval.

“Matvey looks very nice.” Ivan said “Matvey looks very nice in a dress. You will wear more dresses while you are here.” Ivan looked down at the young man who had his fists balled up in the delicate red silk. Ivan tutted and took his wrist pulling his hands away from the skirt. “Now little Matvey we must not damage your pretty new dress.” Ivan smiled down at the small boy.

Slowly he moved his hands till he was no longer gripping Mathieu’s delicate wrists but his small hands. Ivan’s hands were in fact so large that Mathieu’s completely disappeared within the massive paws.

Slowly Ivan led Mathieu to his seat which was placed to the right of the chair at the head of the table where Ivan sat. Ivan pulled out Mathieu’s seat for him, before sitting himself.

“I am slightly disappointed Matvey I was hoping you would choose to come to dinner naked rather than in a dress. I would have gotten to see you’re beautiful figure then.” Ivan smiled at Mathieu, not his usual vicious smile, but a kinder one.

Mathieu choked on his soup. He couldn’t believe Ivan had just said that! He felt more furious tears begin to form. How could he, Ivan was so selfish!

Something soft touched his cheek. Mathieu looked up startled.

“Such a beautiful boy shouldn’t cry.” Ivan said softly as he wiped the tears from Mathieu’s eyes. It was too much for Mathieu to handle.

“WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK IT IS THAT I’M CRYING?” Mathieu screamed pulling away from the beast’s soft touch. “I come here to visit my father only to find that he’s been turned into a candle stick along with everyone I knew as a child! And then some, some BEAST,” Mathieu spat the word out as if it disgusted him. “Takes me prisoner and forces me into a dress and then tells me I shouldn’t cry when it’s his fault!”  Mathieu broke into full blown sobs for the second time that day, falling to his knees and crying into his hands.

A deadly silence descended upon the dining room as everyone stared at the weeping boy. Slowly Ivan reached out a large paw to the boy.

“No!” Mathieu shouted smacking his hand away and glaring up angrily at the beast. Ivan stared at the boy for a few minutes before he snarled at him and turning and storming out of the room, slamming the door so hard that it swung back open.

Mathieu began to sob again, tears coursing down his cheeks.

Something waxy suddenly touched his arm. Matthew looked up and then down to see his father resting one of his candle sticks that was now his hand on Matthew’s arm.

“It’ll be all right mon patit lapin.” Francis cooed stroking his hand, “Shhhhhhhh, it will be all right my sweet Mathieu.” Mathieu picked up the Candle holder and held it to his chest sobbing harder as his papa tried to comfort him.

oOo

Ivan slammed the door to his room open. How dare he! After Ivan went to all that trouble to be nice to him!

“Did he want to stay in the dungeon?” He shouted into the destroyed room. “I go to the trouble of putting him in the south-west room and, and he doesn’t like it! Maybe I should stuff him let him stay in the dungeon! See how he likes it that stupid brat!”

Ivan stormed over to the one part of his chambers that was clear of debris, in the center of the cleared area was a rose that was glowing a soft pink hue and a plain little hand mirror sitting on a small table. He grabbed the mirror.

“Show me Matvey” he hissed at it. The mirror fogged up and then cleared. There sat Mathieu on the dining room floor holding Francis to his chest and sobbing. Ivan glared at the mirror for a minute before raising his arm ready to smash the mirror and the image it showed him.  But he didn’t, he never did. Eventually he just set the mirror back on the table and retreated into the darkest part of his room to think.


	5. Roses Wolves and Changing feelings

**_Chapter 5_ **

For the next two days Ivan stayed in his rooms he had all his meals brought to him and refused to leave or see anyone.

For the two days that Ivan had locked himself away things were calm around the castle Mathieu ate his meals with the servants of the castle. Reacquainting himself with them. He was extremely pleased when he found out that, Kumajiro a large fluffy white dog he used to play with when he lived here was still remembered him. He had been turned into a rather large fluffy footstool but the dog, still remembered him and was as playful as ever.

Most of those two days Mathieu spent with his father but when his father was busy attending to the castle Matthew would explore the large palace.

 And so for two days Matthew all most forgot about his problems back home as he reacquainted himself with his the things of his childhood.

The evening of the second day was when the peaceful time ended. Francis had been busy  helping Tino with an emergency with some of the cleaning staff. Even though they had been turned into household objects they still went through with their jobs. Mathieu decided to explore some more of the castle. He had forgotten most of the layout and enjoyed exploring it and rediscovering all the interesting rooms, like the portrait hall. But the room Mathieu really wanted to find was the library. He remembered that the room was huge and filled from top to bottom with rows upon rows of books. He was determined to find the library tonight while his father was busy. So he set off exploring.

As Mathieu wandered around the castle he came across a set of stairs that he hadn’t gone up yet so he decided to climb them wondering if the library was up them. When he reached the top he walked down a rather dark hallway that seemed uncared for. It was obviously used the dust wasn’t settled enough for it not to be. But the fact that there was dust along with some spider webs showed that it wasn’t cleaned by the servants. Curiosity got the better of Mathieu so he continued on down the hall.

At the end was a pair of huge double doors. The stone work around them was intricately carved with flowers, beasts, birds and creatures of fancy. The door’s were made of a deep rich wood and even in their neglected state Mathieu could see their past glory and the handles were designed so that they looked like the stems of sunflowers.

Mathieu thought for sure he would have remembered such a beautiful doorway but he brushed it off as one of the many rooms he had been denied accesses to as a child. From the state of the hall and doors he assumed that it was simply used for storage now.

Mathieu took a hold of one handle and pulled one of the doors open.

The room inside was in shambles everything was broken tables, chairs, pottery, curtains and sheets that had been ripped to shreds.

“I guess it’s the junk room” he murmured looking around the destroyed room.

His eyes were drawn to a circle free of any derbies near the doors to a balcony. In the centre of the circle was a plain little table with a rose on it. The odd thing was that the rose was floating a little above the table letting off a soft pink glow. Mathieu slowly moved through all the junk till he stood in front of the rose.

Even though the rose had begun to wilt it still had an eerie beauty about it that drew Mathieu to it like the a moth to the flame. Slowly Mathieu reached a hand towards the delicate petals when suddenly, just inches from the soft petals, Mathieu’s hand was engulfed by a large paw.

“What are you doing here?” Ivan snarled at he boy. But Mathieu was terrified of the beast. He had never seen Ivan so angry before in his life. “I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!” Ivan roared.

“I....I....I w...was j..just l...looking a...a...a...around and, and I....I..th...thou-“ Mathieu stuttered holding back sobs of terror.

“Out!” Ivan snarled at the terrified boy. “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

Ivan threw Mathieu across the room sending him crashing into a pile of broken chairs and tables. A broken of leg dug into his thigh, but before Mathieu could even register the pain Ivan was chucking anything and everything he got his hands on at the wounded boy.

Mathieu scrambled to his feet and ran from the room. He ran down the hall unshed tears burning his eyes. He couldn’t stay here! He couldn’t stay a moment longer in the same place as that, that beast!

Mathieu ran out the door to the stables, he threw Hanatamago’s tack on haphazardly not even pausing to make sure that the straps were tight enough.

oOo

Ivan stood panting in his room. That little whelp didn’t he know what could have happened if he touched the rose? He should have killed the boy for daring to come into his room uninvited! Why he should have....

Ivan was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of hooves against pavement. Ivan ran to the window that looked out over the entrance to the palace just in time to see a horse and his rider gallop though the palace gates.

He was leaving how dare, his Matvey run away!

Ivan spun around enraged and that is when he saw the red on the leg of some chair or table and the small trail Mathieu had left behind. No wonder the boy ran.

Then the thought hit Ivan. Wolves! The wolves would smell the blood and go after his Matvey thinking he was weekend pray! No, he couldn’t let his Matvey be eaten by wolves.

Ivan turned around and raced after the wounded boy.

oOo

Mathieu galloped through the forest tears of pain and fear blurring his sight, when a howl reached his ears. He spun around in the saddle and saw them, the wolves chasing after him and Hanatamago. They must have smelt the blood!

Suddenly Hanatamago turned wolves racing to cut the large horse off. At the sudden movement the saddle slipped to one side. The straps Mathieu had neglected to check earlier had been too loose and he was paying for it now.

As Mathieu tipped out of the saddle his foot got stuck in a stirrup so he was dragged along behind the large beast.

Mathieu was dragged along behind Hanatamago wolves snapping at him when the horse was cut off again.

Hanatamago reared in fright his loose reigns swinging up and entangling in some tree branches.

Mathieu stumbled to his feet  grabbing a fallen branch and swinging it at the wolves trying to protect himself and his horse. But the branch was old and broke easily when a wolf grabbed it in its teeth.

Mathieu stared at his impending doom as it inched forward wary of the horses hooves nearby.

One of them lunged forward but was grabbed mid pounce by massive white paws.

Ivan drew the wolf close to his face roaring his anger at the dumb beast before he threw the animal at its advancing pack.

Mathieu watched in morbid fascination as the beast fought the terrifying animals.

The wolves would lunge at Ivan snapping their powerful jaws and every once in a while getting a hold of some of his monstrous flesh. But Ivan was quicker, smarter and stronger that the wolves. He would grab a hold of the creatures his razor sharp claws digging into their side and chuck them at trees or their pack mates, never devoting too much time to a single attacker. As Ivan pulled one of the wolves off him the beast refused to let go without a fight hanging on with the jaws, blood beginning to drip down Ivan’s arm from where the wolf held on.

Finally Ivan managed to pull the beast off. Swing the offending wolf like a club he slammed it into another wolf leaping towards him. He swung them into a tree. There was a sickening thud as the bodies slammed into the tree.

The death of those two wolves singled the retreat of the rest. Running away as fast as their wounds would let them.

Ivan roared after the retreating animals warning them to never enter his territory again.

oOo

When the last of the wolves were gone Ivan stood there panting before slowly moving towards the frightened form of Mathieu.

“Is Matvey all right” Ivan whispered, a gentle paw reaching out to caress his cheek leaving behind a streak of red.

All Mathieu could do was nod mutely staring at the huge beast.

“That is good, da.” Ivan smiled, all most looking gentle as he stared at the trembling boy. “We will return now.”  Ivan said turning around and walking back towards the castle.

Ivan barley took two steps before he fell to the ground.

Mathieu stared at the fallen figure and considered leaving Ivan there for the wolves and bears. But he couldn’t the man, beast, had protected him. He owed him. Mathieu told himself that that was all. That he just owed Ivan and that it was not that Mathieu had felt safe with Ivan stroking his cheek gently, asking if he was all right. It was NOT that his feelings had begun to change for the beast.

Mathieu untangled Hanatamago’s reigns and fixing the saddle so it was on properly this time slowly led the horse over to the fallen prince.

After Mathieu had managed to get Ivan onto the horse’s back he slowly began to limp towards the castle.

oOo

They sat in one of the many sitting rooms; Ivan sat in a large chair by the fire. Mathieu kneeling in front of Ivan, with a bowl of steaming water and a clean rag, Francis, Arthur and Tino a safe distance away watching the two interact.

As Mathieu wrung some of the water out of the cloth he looked up to see Ivan licking the wound that the wolf had given him. His one serious wound from the battle.

“Don’t do that.” Mathieu scolded approaching Ivan with the cloth.

The beast pulled his arm away refusing to let Mathieu look at it. “I am fine. I can tend to my own wounds. You do not need to worry.” Ivan snarled shifting his arm around so Mathieu could not get at it.

Mathieu lunged for the arm. “Hold still!” he cried. Missing the arm but refusing to give up. “If you don’t hold still this going to hurt!” he cried.

Finally managing to catch the arm he quickly pressed the cloth to it.

Ivan howled in pain making the servants run for a hiding place. He jerked his arm away.

“Well if you didn’t move so much it wouldn’t hurt!” Mathieu scolded reaching the end of his patients.

“If you hadn’t run away I wouldn’t have gotten hurt!” Ivan snarled back bring his face close to Mathieu’s trying to scare the boy into submission.

But Mathieu’s anger refused to let him back down now. “If you hadn’t frightened me I wouldn’t have run away!”

“Well you shouldn’t have been in my chambers!” Ivan snarled sure he would win with this.

“I didn’t know it was your rooms! It was so messy and neglected I thought it was a junk room! And that is still no excuse for throwing me into a table!” Mathieu hollered back. If he had know it was the beast private rooms he would have stayed cleared. Fear alone keeping him away.

Ivan stared at the boy for a moment. He had forbidden the servants from entering his room except to bring him meals shortly after they were cursed. Wait his little Matvey had been hurt!

Ivan grabbed the boy and pulled him up onto his lap. He pulled up the skirt of the dress Matvey was wearing to look at his legs. On the inner part of Mathieu’s upper right thigh there was a large scratch. Nothing too serious, it had stopped bleeding a little while ago.

“I am sorry Matvey.” Ivan whispered holding the boy close. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

Mathieu blushed, Ivan was acting so weird.”It...it doesn’t matter let’s just get you cleaned up.”

He slipped from Ivan’s lap and rewetted the cloth once again beginning to clean the wound.

“Thank you little Matvey.” Ivan said. Watching the boy and his bright red cheeks. Ivan would get the servants to clean his room tomorrow.

                                                                           oOo                                                                          

It wasn’t only at Ivan’s castle that the peace was disturbed. Back at the little cottage Mathieu shared with his grandmother things had started to take a turn for the worse.


	6. Deperssion Insanity and a Plan

**_Chapter 6_ **

Back at the small village things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Mathieu’s Grandmother sat staring at the door. She had been watching the door for her grandson’s arrival since about 11 o’clock that morning and now it was 7 o’clock in the evening. She sighed what was taking him so long? Mathieu should have been home by now!

A knock on her door, startled her out of her thoughts. Could it be Mathieu? No he wouldn’t knock.

“Come in.” she called maybe it would be the old man from the book store with news of why

The door opened to reveal the old man from the book store.

“Ahh good evening Ma’am,” the old man greeted her. “I was just wondering if you had gotten any news from your grandson while he’s visiting his father.”

The feeling that something was wrong that had been niggling at the back of her mind since shortly before Mathieu left exploded.

“No, he...he told me you were having him deliver another book!” the old women exclaimed.

“What?” the old man asked confused, why would Mathieu have lied to his grandmother like that?

“Mathieu can’t have gone to see his father! We have to go help him! He’s being held prisoner!” The old lady sobbed hysterically.

She knew what had happened to the residents of the palace. And she knew what the prince had become. Something terrible must have happened! What if the prince killed Mathieu?

He probably just didn’t want to worry her, the old man thought as the old woman began to get hysterical. “I’m sure he was just side tracked, after all he hasn’t seen his father in a very long time. I’m sure that they’re just catching up.” The old man comforted. “He’ll be back by tomorrow. Just you wait and see.”

After he had comforted the elderly lady he gave her the supper that his wife had prepared for her, comforted her some more and when he was sure that the old woman was fine he left.

oOo

That night Mathieu’s grandmother stayed up late staring into the fire. She had to do something! She couldn’t lose her son and her grandson to that, that monster! She’d, she’d get help! If the old man from the book store wouldn’t help her she’d get some other help, but WHO? That’s when it came to her, Alfred. He was in love with Mathieu and he always wanted to be everyone’s hero! He would help her!

She stood up and grabbing her can and cloak headed off for the local tavern.

oOo

Alfred stared into the fire.

“HOW DARE HE!” Alfred bellowed so suddenly it would have ‘caused a few patrons to drop their drinks except for the fact that Alfred had been wallowing in self pity prone to random bursts of shouting for the past two days.

“I’ve been publically humiliated! Made a fool of! Why I’ll make sure that stupid brat knows his place when we’re married!” He huffed and began to sulk again.

Im-yong soo sighed and picked up two mugs of beer. He walked over to his depressed friend and offer him a mug.

“Come on Al have some beer party, be happy!”

Alfred grabbed both mugs and chucked them into the fire. “How can I be happy when I’ve been so embarrassed by that little, that little,” Alfred’s face screwed up as he tried to think of a name for Mathieu. “That little baby maker!”

People had long since given up on telling Alfred that Mathieu was a boy and so couldn’t actually have babies.

“What? Alfred are you kidding?” Im-yong soo exclaimed. “Al, everyone here wants to be you!” he gestured wildly about the room, trying to make his point.

Alfred gave his friend a dirty look and curled into a ball to sulk some more.

Im-yong soo sighed time to stroke the ego.

“Al, you’re the coolest guy in town! All the girls love you. You’re every ones hero!” Alfred just mumbled something. Im-yong soo sighed, and prayed that they could avoid singing the song this time.

Racing back over to the bar Im-yong soo grabbed another mug of beer turning around to face the rest of the tavern, “To Alfred” he shouted, “the coolest, strongest most handsome man in town!” everyone cheered.

When Alfred was depressed like this there were two ways to cheer him up, the first a whole bunch of toast to him telling him how cool he was and the second was the song, the song was the last resort and always worked. Im-yong soo hoped they wouldn’t have to sing it.

There was a slight stirring in the chair. Usually a good sign, time for another toast.

“To Alfred” he shouted again grabbing the belt off of an unsuspecting man who was flirting with one of the serving girls, the man’s pants fell down revealing his underwear. Everyone started laughing at the poor guy. He ran up to Alfred and looped the belt around his thick neck. “The most awesome specimen of the male human being!” everyone cheered again. Alfred was sitting up now, but he was still sulking.

“To Alfred” someone called from across the room, “the slickest and quickest guy in town!” more cheers, Alfred sat up a little straighter.

“To Alfred” someone else called, “everyone’s favourite guy!”

“To Alfred, the greatest fighter!”

“To Alfred, the greatest shooter!”

“To Alfred, the burley and brawniest of all of us!”

“To Alfred, the HERO!” someone bellowed.

That did it Alfred was sitting up straight now a cocky smile on his face. “YOU BET!” He screamed, “look at all my biceps!?” Alfred flexed his arms showing off his many rippling muscles.

“SHOW US THAT TRICK ALFRED!” came a drunken shout. “THE ONE WITH THE BARMAIDS!”

“ALL RIGHT!” Alfred hollered right back. “so ladies” he put on his 100 mega watt smile, “who wants to sit on the bench?”

Immediately a fight broke out among the barmaids as they each fought for a place on a simple brown bench that had been pushed away from a table. Once the three of the women were sitting on the bench Alfred bent down and picked up the bench and held it over his head, after a few minutes he took one hand away so that he was lifting the bench in the air with one hand. Alfred switched hands every few moments to show off.

oOo

Alfred sat in his chair happily flirting with the barmaid who had brought him his beer, when suddenly the door slammed open letting in the cold fall air. Everyone turned to see who had come into the tavern. There in the door way stood Mathieu’s grandmother.

“Please! Please I need help!” she begged, tears making wet tracks down her cheeks.

Everyone stared at the old woman in shock wondering what on earth could be wrong.

“Please! Mathieu,” the old woman stumbled further into the tavern, “Mathieu’s been stolen by a beast!” The old woman sobbed.

There was a stunned silence for a moment than the whole bar erupted in laughter.

“Was it a big beast?” One man asked, coming up behind the woman raising his hands above his head to look bugger and loomed over her.

“Yes! Huge” the old woman sobbed. She didn’t actually know what the beast looked like but she’d say anything to get help!

“With a long ugly snout?” Another man questioned, holding an empty mug up to his face to mimic the snout.

“Horribly ugly!”

“And sharp cruel claws?” This man curled his fingers like claws.

“YES! Yes! Will you help me?” The old woman begged crying harder now.

“All right old woman,” Alfred said motioning two men forward. The two man stood beside the sobbing woman each tacking an arm. “We’ll help you out!”

The two men lifted the old lady up and carried her outside, depositing her outside the tavern door.

The two men walked back in laughing.

“Who knew that the old lady was such a nut.” They laughed as they walked back in slamming the door in the old woman’s face.

As the men in the tavern laughed, Alfred began to do something he rarely did, he began to plot.

“Im-yong soo.” He said a wide smile spreading across his face. “I have a plan that will guarantee Mattie will marry me within the week.”


	7. Fetch regrets and a plan to rescue

**_Chapter 7_ **

Mathieu was outside playing fetch with Kumajiro. He couldn’t move around too much. Ivan had forbid him from moving the leg to much in case he worsened the injury. Mathieu thought that it was ridicules and that they should be more worried about Ivan’s wound but Ivan wouldn’t listen to him. He thought it was sweet and hoped Ivan would be careful about his arm and kept a fairly close eye on him to make sure he was.

Mathieu looked up at the balcony that led into one of the many sitting rooms. Ivan stood there watching him. Mathieu blushed and quickly looked away.

oOo

Francis stood on the railing by his master. He was worried about the princes growing attachment to his son. He was all so worried about the looks that Matthew was beginning to give the prince when he thought no one was looking. Ever since Ivan had saved him last night, Mathieu had been more comfortable around Ivan. Matthew was less scared and more willing to stand up to the prince.

Francis sighed all he could do now was hope for the best. His son may not seem like it but he could be just as stubborn and bull headed as Ivan, only in a quieter and passive aggressive way.

“I want to do something for Matvey.” Ivan’s words startled Francis out of his thoughts.

oOo

Ivan watched as Mathieu threw a stick and the dog turned footstool would go and bring it back for the boy to throw again. Mathieu laughed and looked up at balcony where Ivan was standing. They’re eyes met for a brief moment before the boy turned away blushing. Ivan watched him for a few more minutes in silence.

“I want to do something for Matvey.” Ivan said his eyes not leaving the boy playing with the dog.

Francis stared at the beast for a moment. Thinking of something Ivan could do for his son, it couldn’t be something normal that would be too dull and his patit lapin was better than that.

“Well you could give him flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep. Oh a lovely romantic dinner would be nice.” Arthur said unaware of Francis’s inner turmoil.

“Non, non!” Francis exclaimed tempted to push the annoying clock off the railing for suggesting such things when it was his precious babe. “Matthew is better than such flimsy uncaring gifts!”

“Well then what do you suggest?” Arthur asked shoving the thin candle stick, annoyed that his ideas had been insulted. They were good solid TRADDITIONAL ideas. They were used because they worked!

“It must be something bold! Something that shows you know and understand him! Something that will truly show you care!”

“That isn’t a suggestion!” Arthur shouted at Francis shoving him again.

“Well at least I’m trying to think of something original!” Francis shoved back. “Which is more than can be said about you!” Francis shoved the clock again.

“Why you...you” Arthur, unable to come up with any insult for the candle stick, tackled Francis.

Soon the two were rolling around on the balcony fighting, Ivan sighed and turned back to watch his sweet Matvey. He longed to touch him. To hold him the way he had last night when he had been checking his leg. Matvey’s leg, how could he have done that to the sweet boy! he needed to show him he was sorry and he wouldn’t do it again!

“Enough” Ivan snapped at the two fighting trinkets. “This is not helping me! Now think of something! What does my sweet Matvey like?”

Francis froze when he heard Ivan call his son ‘My sweet Matvey’. When had he started referring to his child like that? He didn’t want his patit Mathieu to end up with Ivan! Francis looked up at the huge beast. The way he would look at his son, so gently Francis hated it. He could tell that Ivan was feeling the one thing he had never felt for anyone except his mother, love. And this time it wasn’t anywhere near as plutonic as that love had been.

“Well?” the beast turned to look at the candle stick expectantly. “What does my sweet Matvey like?”

“B..books.” Francis chocked out “He’s always loved books. I know for a fact he was looking for the library when he, when he wandered into your room.”

For a moment Ivan looked pained, but then it cleared. “I know what I will give my Matvey.” Ivan murmured before turning back to watch the young man play with the dog.

oOo

Mathieu was getting cold. Without being able to move around much he couldn’t keep very warm so even though he hadn’t been out very long, by his standards any way, he was ready to go back in.

“Come on Kumamasa!” He called to the dog, footstool. He was having trouble remembering the dog’s name it had been so long since he played with him.

The dog came running up to him barking and wagging his tail happily. Matthew laughed and headed back towards the castle. He got to the stairs that led to where the prince watched him from. It, it wasn’t the way he had come in, but it would be fine if he went in this way.

Slowly Matthew picked up the cumbersome skirt he wore and started up the stairs.

When Matthew reached the top, Kumajiro close on his heels Ivan was waiting for him.

“Matvey had fun playing outside da?” He smiled at the blushing boy.

“Yes, I..I had lots of fun.” Mathieu replied blushing more as he stood in front of the beast.

“That is good.” Ivan offered Mathieu his arm. “Shall we go in now Matvey?”

Mathieu nodded. As he took Ivan’s arm he didn’t think that he could get any redder.  He was sure he looked as red as one of the gardeners tomatoes.

“I have a gift for you my Matvey.” Ivan said smiling happily as he led Mathieu into the castle.

“Oh! You, you didn’t have to.” Mathieu said surprised at Ivan doing such a thing.

“But I wanted to.” The beast chuckled.

oOo

Mathieu’s grandmother paced the floor in front of the fire. Her grandson was in danger! She couldn’t lose Mathieu to; she couldn’t stand to lose him to that dammed prince?! Not so soon after she had lost her son!

The old woman had been up all night pacing after she had been kicked out of the bar. That stupid selfish Alfred, everybody’s hero! Ha! She had given him a chance to be a real hero and he had thrown her out! She had to do something. Suddenly a knocking on the door startled her from her thoughts.

“Mrs. Bonnefroy,” it was the old man Mathieu worked for. “Mrs. Bonnefroy, can I come in?” she ignored him. “Mrs. Bonnefroy I heard what you did at the bar last night! Can I come in?” she continued to ignore him. “Please I want to help you. Mathieu would be so worried if he knew what had happened!”

That was it! She grabbed a vase and chucked it at the door.

“All right I’m leaving.” The old man sighed. “If you need anything just come down to the book store.”

Mrs. Bonnefroy heard the sound of retreating footsteps.

She sighed. No one was going to help her. What could she do? She could go and save her grandson herself! That’s what she could do!

“No one will help me so I’ll have to go myself!” The old woman climbed the stairs to get ready for the journey to the castle.


	8. Plots Regrets and a Gift

**_Chapter 8_ **

The bar had been closed for about two hours now and it was empty except for three people. Alfred sat across from Yao in the semi-dark bar, a mug of Ale in his hands though he had yet to take a sip.

“I have a problem Yao. He said leaning forward and looking the tall Chinese man in the eye.

“Do you?” Yao took a sip of his rice wine as he waited for Alfred to elaborate.

“You see I want to marry Mattie and have awesome children with him,” Alfred said sulkily at Yao’s obvious unintrest in his life. Everybody was interested in his life he was the hero!

“Alfred you do realise that since Mathieu is a man he cannot have children with you?” Yao told him.

Alfred merely waved off Yao’s concern regarding his and Mattie’s offspring.

Yao wondered if maybe he should lock the obviously insane man up. But decided it better not be attempted Alfred was very popular and the pubic might not respond well to that.

“Any way I want to marry Mattie but he’s getting cold feet.” Alfred’s voice took on a rather winy pitch

“Ha! More like he turned you down flat!” Im-yong soo laughed.

Alfred glared at his friend and pushed him off the bench.

“Any way I figure all Mattie needs is some persuasion.” Alfred smiled happily like it was the most brilliant plan in the entire universe.

Yao waited for him to continue, but Alfred had stopped as if he expected Yao to all ready know what to do.

“And you want me to threaten to lock him up in the asylum if he doesn’t marry you?” Yao questioned him after a minute of silence.

“NO!” Alfred’s voice was full of contempt; Yao once again questioned the pros and cons of locking him up.

“Than what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to threaten to lock his grandmother up.” Alfred smiled proud of his devious plan. “Mattie will do anything for his grandmother!”

“Yeah even marry you!” Im-yong soo laughed before he was pushed off the bench again.

“Any way the old bag came in here raving about a beast! I figured you could use that as an excuse to lock her up!” Alfred looked at Yao expectantly.

“And tell me Alfred, why would I do this?” Yao questioned expectantly. He knew why he would do this but he wouldn’t agree to this job till Alfred knew.

And Alfred was smarter than he seemed. As soon as Yao had uttered these words Alfred dropped a bag of gold coins on the table. Yao inspected the bag, weighing it in his palm and looking at the coins inside.

“Very well, we will pick Mrs. Bonnefroy up tomorrow evening.” Yao smiled pleasantly at the two conspirators.

oOo

As Ivan led Mathieu down the hall Mathieu could feel unease bubbling up in his stomach Ivan was leading him back to Ivan’s room.

“Umm, Ivan,” Mathieu asked hesitantly, “where are we going?”

“It is a surprise da.” Ivan said happily.  Leading the young blond forward

oOo

Mrs. Bonnefroy did one last check to make sure that she had everything she needed for the journey and that the house was clean and tidy.

When she was positive that everything was taken care of she pulled on her pack that held her food and change of clothes, picked up her walking stick and hobbled out the door. It was just a little after 11 and she was sure if she kept up a good steady pace she would make it to the old inn before the road to the palace just after night fall.

oOo

Alfred watched with great anticipation as the wagon from the asylum rolled up to the cottage where Mathieu and his grandmother lived. This would be it! Mattie would be his!

The wagon rolled to a stop in front of the small building. Alfred jumped off and ran up the stairs, taking the two at a time with Im-yong soo following at a more leisurely pace.

“Mattie!” Alfred hollered slamming open the door without bothering to knock. “Mattie!” he bellowed walking into the dark cottage.

No one answered his summons. Huffing in irritation he began to search for the occupants.

“There not here Al.” Im yong-soo said after a moment of watching the man search the obviously empty cottage.

“What? Why aren’t they here?” the big man winded.

“How should I know?” Im yong-soo huffed. Alfred hadn’t been nearly as much fun since he became obsessed with Mathieu. “Ask the book seller if you want to know.”

Im-yong soo turned and left the empty house a sulking Alfred close behind him sulking. When they got to the bottom of the stairs Alfred grabbed Im-yong soo by his shirt and shoved him into a bush by the stairs.

“Hey!”

“You will stay here until they come back!” Alfred snarled angry that he would have to wait longer for Mathieu to be his.

“What!” Im-yong soo yelped struggling to get out of the bush. But by the time he had gotten free Alfred had left with the wagon.

oOo

Mathieu trembled as Ivan led him down the hall towards his room. Why was Ivan taking him to his room when he got so upset last time?

“Matvey is nervous da?” Ivan asked his voice teasing. He knew that the boy was nervous he could feel him trembling.

“N...no I...I’m fine.” Mathieu stuttered.

Ivan giggled at the boy’s obvious discomfort. “Do not worry Matvey I will not hurt you.” Ivan put his hand over Mathieu’s. “I will never hurt you again my sweet Matvey.”

Mathieu looked up at Ivan surprised; the beast was still looking straight ahead a sad look on his face.

“Matvey must close his eyes now.” Ivan said the sad look gone replaced with one of joy.

Mathieu looked in front of him again surprised at the sudden change of Ivan’s moods. In front of him were the large double doors that led to Ivan’s suit.

“Close your eyes Matvey.” Ivan reminded him after a moment.

Obediently Mathieu shut his eyes. To make sure he wasn’t peeking Ivan waved one of his paws in front of Mathieu’s face. When this got no reaction Ivan smiled and opened the door.

He led Mathieu through the first room, a sitting room that was currently being returned to its former glory. As were the rest of the rooms in his suit, all but one that had been taken care of with only the passion one has for past memories. That one room was where he was taking Mathieu.

Ivan led him through the sitting room past several other rooms, through his bedroom and into a large closet.

“Matvey may open his eyes now.” Ivan said happily.

Mathieu took his hands off his eyes and stared in awe at the splendour he saw before him. If he thought the dresses and jewellery he had been forced into were beautiful he was finding out now that they were nothing compared to the dresses and jewels here.

“Um, I..Ivan why do you have women’s clothes?” Mathieu asked unable to hold in his curiosity.

“They were my mothers.” Ivan said softly reaching out to lovingly stroke the sleeve of one of the dresses. “They are Matvey’s now.” Ivan said softly

“Umm, Ivan, you do know I’m a boy?” Mathieu asked hesitantly.

“Da, so?”

Why did everyone want him to have babies and wear dresses, Mathieu wondered, he wasn’t that feminine.

“Try one on!” Ivan said excitedly, looking at Mathieu exactingly. Mathieu couldn’t find it in himself to tell him no so he went to the hanger holding some of the simpler dresses. Ha simpler, none of these were simple.

The one he chose didn’t have a huge skirt like the one he wore to dinner his first night, this one had no hoop to make the skirts wider, instead this dress just had three petty coats mad of soft lamb’s wool. The dress itself was mad of a soft green silk the edges were bordered in a darker green lace with small white purls sewn on.

“Matvey has good taste,” Ivan teased seeing which dress he had chosen.

Matthew blushed and looked down at the ground. “W...where should I change?” he murmured.

“Why here of course!” Ivan said happily.

Mathieu’s head shot up and he stared at the prince, Ivan wanted him to change here right in front of him?

“Is something wrong?” Ivan questioned when his Matvey didn’t begin to change right away. “Does Matvey want some help?” A sly smile worked its way on to the prince’s face.

“N..No!” Matthew exclaimed his blush darkening. Ivan seemed to enjoy making him blush, he did it often enough.

Ivan giggled at his Matvey’s reaction; he was so fun to tease.

Mathieu turned so his back was to the prince as he started to undress himself. He could feel Ivan’s eyes burning a hole in his back. He slowly undid the many lasses on the dress. He wished that for once Felix would pick something simple, like one of the dresses that did not take 30 minutes to get into and 15 minutes to get out of!

Once the last set had been undone he began to slip out of the dress until he was standing in nothing more than the thin shift he wore under it.

He paused for a moment playing with the soft wool ready to take the thin fabric that shielded his body from the prince’s gaze off.

Ivan watched as his Matvey played with the thin shift and chuckled he had made the poor boy blush enough. For now.

Ivan walked over to the fidgeting boy and took his hand. “Matvey can change behind here.” He said gently tugging the boy over to where a changing screen stood just out of the way.

Mathieu looked at the changing screen in surprise. He honestly hadn’t noticed it before. And if it was there why did Ivan make him change in front of him? Mathieu looked over at the large beast he was smirking! He found Mathieu’s discomfort amusing!

Without really thinking the action through in his embarrassment and anger Mathieu delivered a sharp kick to the beast’s leg and stormed behind the screen to sulk.

Ivan was more surprised than anything else when he felt a sharp pain in his leg and realized that his Matvey had kicked him. But when the surprise wore of it was replaced by a dull anger. How dare Matvey hit him!

“Matvey!” Ivan barked, he wouldn’t hurt him he had promised not to, but he would make him apologise. “How dare you kick me! Come out and apologise!” And his Matvey could all so finish changing in front of him to show how sorry he was!

“No!” Mathieu snapped back at his tormenter, still angry at him. “You made me change in front of you!” Ivan was shocked with how upset the boy sounded. “That was mean Ivan! You deserved what you got!”

Ivan was silent for a moment surprised at how angry Mathieu sounded at him. He hadn’t meant to make him so angry. He was trying to bring them closer! He just couldn’t resist making him change while he watched, his Matvey was just too beautiful to resist and now he angry at him.

“I am sorry Matvey.” Ivan whispered forlornly, he did not like it when his Matvey was angry with him. “I won’t do it again.”

Mathieu was silent for a moment and Ivan began to question if he had heard him or not.

“Do you promise?” Mathieu questioned his voice quite but still containing some of its former anger.

“Da! I promise!” Ivan said eagerly hoping that this meant his Matvey forgave him.

“All right then,” Mathieu whispered, there was silence between them for a moment longer before Mathieu finally broke it. “H..hand me the dress.”

“Da!” Ivan said happily glad his Matvey was not mad at him.


	9. Anger and Confusion

**_Chapter 9_ **

Mathieu put on the skirts and had just slipped the bodice on when he realised two very important things. One the bodice laced up in the back so he couldn't do it and two, Ivan's mother had been an incredibly well endowed woman. Demonstrated by how the chest part of the bodice was at least eight sizes too large. He would have to tell Ivan.

"Ivan," Mathieu called out nervously. "The, the dress doesn't fit."

"Hm? But I am sure that you and mother were about the same size."

"We are, mostly. It's just ummm..."

"Da?"

"Well it's just a little loose in the chest, kinda." If being able to fit two watermelons into the dress and still have room a little loose then yes the dress was a little loose.

"Matvey, should show me."

Matthew took a deep breath and walked around the screen to show Ivan just how loose the dress was. Considering that they were both men he was oddly self conscious about being in front of Ivan with any amount of skin showing. He shouldn't be nervous like this but the way Ivan looked at him, it gave him goose bumps.

Ivan watched as his sweet Matvey slowly emerged from behind the dressing screen. The dress looked beautiful on him. But he was right the dress was loos in the front. But it hadn't been laced up in the back! That's what was wrong!

"Matvey has not done it up! No wonder it is so loose! Matvey is so silly." Ivan reached out and stroked Mathieu's cheek. The boys face instantly turned cherry red at the contact.

Matthew blushed as the soft paw brushed his cheek. Ivan was such an ass! He swore that the princes favourite past time was to make him blush! And he was very, very good at it.

"I will do the dress up for Matvey." Ivan smiled and taking hold of the boys small shoulder s and turned him around so he would be able to tie the aces on the dress and make it fit properly.

The one problem Ivan hadn't accounted for when he had offered to lace up the dress where his claws. They would poke holes in the lace if he held them too tightly but if he held them to loosely them they would simply slip through his large claws and even if Ivan managed to get the very difficult balance of holding the laces tight enough to hold them but loose enough so he wasn't poking a hole in the delicate fabric the claws were awkward and made for killing and gutting not doing up laces so he would only succeed in tangling the infuriating things. In only a matter of moments the laces were nothing but a knotted tangled mess filled with holes.

Ivan stared at the mess in front of him; this was not how it was suppose to turn out! He was supposed to lace the dress up perfectly. Mathieu would blush prettily and thank him with a kiss from those soft plush lips. Stupid laces!

"I don't like the top!" Ivan growled. Hooking one of his claws above the tangled mess he yanked down ripping the laces apart. "Matvey will not wear it! Take it off!"

A little stunned at Ivan's suddenly violent behaviour, and confused by the apparent 180 in Ivan's desire for him to wear the dress Mathieu quickly pulled off the dresses bodice. The puzzle of Ivan's behaviour was quickly solved when he saw the mess of laces. For a moment Mathieu started at the knotted mess for a moment. And then he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Ivan was acting like a child.

"Matvey thinks something is funny?" Ivan purred in a sickly sweet voice.

Mathieu immediately stopped his laughter that tone of voice did not mean anything good for him. "Uh, um, kind, kind of." He whispered.

"That isn't very nice now is it Matvey." Ivan leaned forward to whisper in Mathieu's ear. "Maybe you need to be" Ivan paused, "punished."

Mathieu stood there frozen in fear. He was more comfortable with Ivan true but that didn't mean he wasn't still afraid of him. He didn't trust Ivan not to hurt him if he got mad quite yet.

"Now how should we punish little Matvey, hmm?" Ivan purred his hand running up Mathieu's exposed stomach and chest. "What sho-"Ivan stopped, Matthew was trembling so hard his teeth chattered and tears of fear were beginning to collect in the corner of his eyes. Ivan's anger died a swift and guilt ridden death.

"Matvey," Ivan whispered softly unable to force his voice any louder."Matvey." slowly the boy's fear filled eyes looked at him. A strangled noise wormed its way out of Ivan's throat as their eyes met and the guilt stabbed at his heart. For a moment he could only stare at Mathieu before he quickly pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Ivan murmured as he held the boy to his chest.

oOo

Mathieu sat on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chin. His eyes were red and puffy but at least he was no longer crying. Ivan sighed and set down the mirror. He would not join his Matvey for dinner tonight. No he would give him time to calm down before he would join him for meals once again. Ivan sighed, he had been stupid. Matvey probably hated him now. Ivan turned on his heel and walked out to sit on the balcony.

oOo

Mathieu sat on the bed thinking about what had happened in Ivan's chambers. He had been so scared when Ivan had gotten mad today. And over what! Mathieu laughing at him that was just ridiculous! How could Ivan expect him to be able to trust him if he couldn't even laugh around him? But, he had been so sorry when he realised how scared Mathieu was. Mathieu could still here Ivan's voice in his head chanting the words I'm sorry over and over again. He could still feel his massive arms wrapped around him holding Mathieu to his chest. He had felt so safe in Ivan's embrace all though why he had no idea. Matthew let out a heartfelt sigh. What was wrong with him?

Suddenly the sound of the small clock on the small shelf striking six startled him from his depressing and confusing thoughts. Supper was at 6:15 and he wasn't even dressed yet and his face was still a mess from crying. Scooting off his bed and pouring some water from the picture into the bowl he began to wash his face.

"Mathieu!" Felix all but sang as the large wardrobe lumbered into the room. "I have the most beautiful dress for you to wear tonight!" he had a dress hung across one of his doors. It was made of cream silk and covered in embroidered roses.

"It's, it's beautiful Felix thank you." Matthew said blushing, what did he do? Why was he always forced into the dresses?

"Come, come we'll put you into it and then it's down to supper!" Felix seemed ungodly happy tonight. Mathieu was a little surprised that he wasn't panicking with the time it usually took to put him in one of the evening dresses and do his hair.

oOo

Mathieu stood in the doorway of the dining room, Ivan was not there. Since Ivan had rejoined Mathieu for supper he had always been the first to arrive and it worried Mathieu that he was not here now.

"Mathieu, is everything all right?" a voice to his left questioned.

Mathieu looked down and into the concerned eyes of his papa.

"Where's Ivan?" the treacherous words slipped out before he could stop them.

Francis was worried about his patit ange. Mathieu had been acting oddly since he had begun to spend more time with the beast. The worst thing was that the boy seemed to no longer have any desire to leave.

"Ivan has requested to take his meal in his rooms tonight." The candlestick watched as emotions paced over his child's face.

First there was confusion followed quickly by understanding, sadness and a finally guilt.

"Would, would it be possible to take my super to his room?" Mathieu's voiced was so quit that Francis all most didn't hear it and he wished he truly hadn't.

oOo

A soft knock on the door caused Ivan to look up from his uneaten meal. Who would be dumb enough to bother him when he had specifically told his servants that he wished to be left alone! Ivan stormed to the door ready to tear into the poor fool who had dared to go against his wishes. But when he opened the door it was not one of his enchanted servants that stood before him but sweet Matvey holding a tray that Ivan had no doubt held his dinner. What could the boy want with him after the disaster with the dresses this afternoon?

"You, you weren`t at dinner," the boy whispered a sweet pink blush dusting his cheeks. "And Papa said you had requested to, to take your dinner in your rooms. And, and, umm," Mathieu looked up at Ivan his soft violet eyes holding Ivan`s dark purple ones, "I w-was wondering if you`d like some company?"

 


	10. Forgiveness

**_Chapter 10_ **

Ivan stared at Mathieu, too surprised to move. To say that he was stunned would be an understatement. No one had ever willingly come near him after he had threatened them the way he had Mathieu.

Mathieu began to fidget, should he have come? Ivan was glaring at him. He was about to apologise and flee Ivan’s seemingly angry expression when the large beast moved to the side ad motioned him inside. Cautiously Mathieu entered Ivan’s chambers.

“Wh..where do you want me to-“ Mathieu’s question was cut off as Ivan wrapped his two massive arms around the boy.

For a moment Mathieu froze memory from this afternoon still fresh in his mind. But after a few minutes he slowly began to relax.

As Ivan felt Mathieu slowly relax in his grip, he held the sweet boy closer, he never wanted to let him go. But all things must end, so Ivan slowly relaxed his grip prolonging the separation as long as he possibly could.

oOo

“No! No! NO!” Arthur hollered as he struggled out of Francis grip. “I SAID NO!”

“Oh come now mon rosbif,” Francis cooed, trying to wrap his arms around the unwilling clock. “Let us enjoy our time alone before mon patit bebe comes down for supper.”

“He’s all ready been down you git!” The struggling clock snarled, honestly how could Francis be so stupid!

“What?” Francis grip on the Arthur weekend slightly.

“He chose to take supper up with Ivan in his room!” As Arthur said this he gave one final push using all his strength, unfortunately for the small clock upon hearing where his son was Francis let go completely sending Arthur flying.

“Why is mon Mathieu taking supper with Ivan?” Francis cried panic clear on his waxy features.

Arthur crashed into a wall with a thud sending gears flying.  Picking him up with a huff he scowled at Francis. “What’s the big deal? This is a good thing! Ivan’s showing more progress with Mathieu then he has any other, if this keeps up Ivan could fall in love and we could be human again!” Arthur waddled around the room picking up his fallen gears cleaning them and putting them back. “Honestly if we knew this would happen then we should have brought the boy here soo- OOOOOW!” Arthur jumped into the air clutching his burned behind.

“Do NOT even joke about that!”Francis snarled at the surprised clock. “That is my SON and I sent him away for a reason!” Francis turned around and hopped out of the room, the sound of his gold base hitting the marble floor following him out.

oOo

Mathieu sat across from Ivan picking his meal. It was a stuffed quail and quite good. Despite the servants disadvantage at being turned into common household appliances they were still quite skilled at their many different tasks. Really it was quite amazing. He wondered how hard it had been to learn how to do these tasks with their new bulky appendages. He would have to ask his fath-

“Mattie is nervous, da?” Ivan’s voice interrupted Mathieu’s hectic thoughts of the challenges of performing a servants duty when all you had were candle sticks for hands by Ivan’s low voice.

“Oh, um, no, no I was just thinking.” Mathieu quickly replied blushing, it was lie, he was still nervous about being around Ivan after today’s display of temper.

Ivan watched the boy he was no longer trembling, but he was still tense, not quite as tense as when he had first arrived at the door to Ivan’s chambers. Ivan looked down at his dinner, he had hardly touched it and Mathieu’s was in a similar state. Ivan sighed, neither of them seemed to be very hungry, Ivan felt too guilty and Matthew too nervous. Pushing his chair back Ivan stood.

“Would you join me for a stroll around the gardens?” Ivan asked carful to look just above the boy’s head, afraid to face what was in the boy’s eyes.

oOo

Ivan stood in front of the door to the garden and glared at the rain as if he could make it disappear by will alone.

“It, it’s all right Ivan,” Mathieu whispered hoping to calm the large beast down. “We can go out for a walk in the gardens tomorrow.”

Ivan looked down at Mathieu out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to leave it like this, he had to truly make it up to Mathieu tonight. Show Mathieu that he could trust him.

“Matvey likes books does he not?” Ivan quarried the words of Francis echoing through his head.

“Y..yes.” Mathieu was stunned by the sudden change of topic.

Taking the stunned boy’s hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm Ivan led them away from the door to the garden and back into the castle.

After a few moments of stunned silence at Ivan’s abrupt change of topic Mathieu finally found his voice hiding somewhere in the back of his throat.

“Where, where are we going?” He questioned the rather determined looking beast.

“A surprise for Matvey.” Was all the answer Ivan gave him as he led him deeper into the castle.

oOo

All Mathieu could do was stare at the shelves upon shelves of books. There must be millions here! Ivan must possess a copy of every book ever written!

Ivan watched the smaller male easily reading the thoughts that crossed his face as he slowly walked into the library. He should have given this to him to begin with. If he had done that then he would never have scared the boy.

“Does Matvey like it?” Ivan asked staying just outside the door.

“Yes. Yes its wonderful!” Mathieu turned to smile at the beast. “You have so many books!”

“Then it’s yours.”Ivan said firmly. “I will never enter this room without your permission.”

As the last part of Ivan’s statement sunk in, the odd position Ivan had taken just outside the door finally made sense. He was waiting for Mathieu to invite him in.

“Won’t you please come in?” Mathieu whispered that sweet pink blush gracing his futures once again.

Ivan smiled and strode foreword to stand in front of his Matvey. Gently cupping his cheek in one hand and stroking it with the pad of his thumb Ivan whispered. “Thank you my Matvey.” Ivan finally looked into Mathieu’s eyes and smiled.

oOo

Where was she! Mathieu’s grandmother stumbled down the deserted road. She should have reached the inn by now. A rough hacking cough suddenly rose in her throat, shaking her whole body.

She had been out for two nights now and both had been cold and damp. She had been sure that even in her old age she would be able to make it the inn that was the half way point around noon on her third day. Another cough shook her body. She would have to find a spot to make camp for the night. She didn’t have the strength to go much farther.


	11. Remembering

**_Chapter 11_ **

Mathieu sat in front of the warm fire Kumaru sitting on his lap while he opened the collection of poems Ivan had recommended him. They were by an ancient Greek poet known simply as Ovid. Ivan had said they were love poems and that he thought Mathieu might enjoy them, opening the book he began to read.

The book fell from Mathieu’s numb fingers, his cheeks painted a very dark shade of red. He needed some air lurching to his feet and sending Kumachichi sprawling Mathieu ran to a pair of doors that led out to a balcony where one could read when the weather would permit and took great gulping breaths of the chilly fall air to cool off his flaming cheeks.

oOo

Ivan tried not to laugh as he watched Mathieu’s reaction to the book he had recommended. The boy’s cheeks grew redder and redder until he finally dropped the book and blotted out to take great gulps of air. Finally Ivan couldn’t help it he burst out laughing. When the shy innocent boy had asked him if he could recommend any books to him he had not been able to resist recommending his copy of the uncensored Ovid. He had been tempted to ask Mathieu to read it to him out loud but he felt that that may have been pushing it. So instead he had chosen to simply watch from the small looking glass in his room.

oOo

Ivan sat at the head of the table slurping his soup (sipping quietly was something he had simply been unable to do since his transformation) he was beginning to regret his idea to recommended The Ovid, Mathieu hadn’t talked to him let alone looked at him since the incident and he hated it!

“Is Matvey enjoying his food?” he asked smiling at the boy trying to start a conversation.

Mathieu jumped at the sound of Ivan’s voice but didn’t look at him his face slowly increasing in color, he merely nodded.

 This however was not the reaction that Ivan wanted. He wanted his Matvey to look up at him with that sweet smile of his and to talk to him happily, not sit there blushing like a fool over some foolish story! Ivan raised his arm and bawling his large paw up into a fist slammed it down on the table making all the dishes jump and clink together.

Mathieu jumped as Ivan’s fist slammed down onto the table.

“I said I was sorry so Matvey will look at me now!”

Mathieu stared up in shock at the angry beast but barley a minute passed before his face turned a bright cherry red and he looked back down at his soup.

“Why is Matvey so mad?” Ivan practically whined. “I just wanted to see my Matvey’s cute blushing face but now you won’t even look at me!”

Mathieu didn’t know whether to be angry or embarrassed about Ivan’s unashamed enjoyment for tormenting him. He decided on embarrassed, it was safer.

“I-It, it’s n-not that I’m m-mad at you” Matthew whispered, his voice becoming quite and quitter as he spoke. “J-just embarrassed.” Ivan all most missed the last part the small blond was so quite.

For a moment Ivan was silent, thinking about what his Matvey had said and how he could get the blond to talk to him again or at least look at him.

“Matvey will read to me after super.” Ivan said calmly, that way he would at least be able to listen to his Matvey’s voice.

“Out of the Ovid?” Mathieu gasped shocked that Ivan would suggest such a thing. “I couldn’t-“

“Het, something different.” Ivan replied. “I prefer it when my Matvey looks at me.”

Mathieu gave Ivan one more embarrassed look before returning to his now cold soup.

oOo

Mathieu wandered between the rows and rows of books looking for something that Ivan would like when one title caught his eye, _The Polar Bear King._ Medre! He cursed, his Grandmother!

“Mathieu,” Francis quite and concerned voice interrupted Mathieu from his inner turmoil. “Mathieu, when are you planning to try and escape?”

For a second he could only stare at his father, escape. He didn’t want to escape. He liked being here spending time with Ivan. But he needed to leave.

“Now,” Mathieu whispered unshed tears making his eyes glassy. “I, I need to go talk to Ivan.”

Mathieu walked past his father heading to the large fire place where he had left Ivan when a tug on his dress stopped him. He turned around to see his father holding onto the hem of his dress.

“But, but he will not let you go!” Francis replied stunned. What could Mathieu be thinking asking Ivan if he could leave the beast would never let his last chance at breaking the curse leave! “Mathieu I have worked in this palace since before Ivan was born, I have seen him grow up and twist into the monster he is now! His insides match his outsides no matter what you may think!”

“But papa-“

“Ivan is a cruel and selfish being Mathieu! HE WILL NOT LET YOU GO!”

For a second Mathieu simply stared down at his father before quietly answering.

“Non, I trust him and I cannot simply leave him papa.”

Then Mathieu turned and quickly walked away.

oOo

Ivan sat in front of the large fire place and watched the flames flicker absentmindedly, wondering what book his sweet Matvey would choose.

“Ivan.” Mathieu’s voice startled the large beast from his absent minded wondering.

“What is it Matvey?” Ivan questioned turning to look at Mathieu. Instantly the beast noticed the many unshed tears fogging up the boys eyes and before Mathieu could utter a single word in response Ivan was by his side questioning him. “Matvey what is wrong?”

“I-I need to leave.” Mathieu whispered, a single tear slipping out one eye and leaving a wet trail down his cheek.

“Matvey wants to leave me?”

“NO!” Mathieu exclaimed. For some reason the thought of Ivan thinking that he wanted to leave him hurt though Mathieu didn’t understand why. “No, that’s not it. There are things I need to do back in my home town. My, my grandmother, she needs me.”

“Why?” Ivan growled at the blond. “Why do you need to leave me to go take care of some old woman?”

“We, I, our taxes are due in about a week. I, I came he-here because I didn’t have the money to pay them. I was going to ask Papa if he would help us.” Matthew stopped talking, a few more tears spilling from his eyes. “Bu-but I, I forgot.”

“Matvey cannot go! You must stay here with me!” Ivan snarled, straightening his form to tower over the smaller boy. “I will send money to pay your taxes but Matvey must not leave me!”

“But, my, my Grandmother needs me.” Matthew whispered looking up at Ivan, his eyes pleading for Ivan to understand.

“Het.” Ivan replied ignoring the boys pleading eyes. “Matvey will not go he will stay here!” Ivan emphasised his point by stabbing one of his clawed fingers down in front of him.

“Ivan, I can’t!” Mathieu cried, he could not believe that Ivan would keep him here against his will. “My Grandm-“

“If I show you you’re бабушка and she is fine you will stay?” Ivan asked.

“My...” Matthew struggled with the foreign word before he finally understood what Ivan had suggested. “What do you mean show her to me?” He questioned. “How, how can you show her to me?”

“Come.” Ivan commanded taking a firm hold of Mathieu’s slight wrist and heading out of the library and towards his room. “торопиться. Hurry,” Ivan growled, obviously agitated. “Hurry.”

oOo

Matthew stood beside Ivan in front of the round table that held only a small plain hand mirror and the enchanted rose. Ivan very carefully picked up the small mirror and offered it to Mathieu.

“This mirror will show you anything you want.” Ivan said quietly. “You merely have to ask.”

Mathieu carefully took the mirror and looked it over. The mirror was old, very old. It was tarnished and the glass wavy and the wood was gray and soft with age and there was no designs carved into the simple thing.

For a moment Mathieu just stared at the small mirror, weren’t things of power supposed to be, well magnificent covered in jewels and beautiful designs and not something so, so simple as this.

“The most powerful things are often the simplest things.” Ivan said quietly voice full of awe. Slowly he reached out a large claw to trace the edge of the small hand mirror.

For a second Mathieu stared at the mirror thinking about what Ivan had said. After a moment he took a deep breath and holding the mirror in front of him began his request. “Show me,” He paused and looked suspiciously up at Ivan. “Have you been watching me with this?”

For a moment Ivan considered lying, but decided that truth was probably a better way to go in this situation, if he lied and was found out than it would probably blow up into something larger than it was.

“Da.” Ivan said calmly ignoring the rising look of horror and anger on his Matvey’s face. “But only twice, the night that you had first arrived after I left you in the dining hall and this morning while you were reading the Ovid.”

For a second Matthew wonder if Ivan was lying about when he had used the mirror but decided that he trusted him and that for his sanity’s sake would believe him.

“All, all right.” Holding the mirror in front of him once more he began. “Please, show me my grandmother.” For a moment nothing happened then the glass cleared and he saw his grandmother sick and dying on the side of a road.

oOo

NO! No, this was not what Ivan wanted! This was not what his Matvey was supposed to see! The mirror had not shown Mathieu’s grandmother at home warm healthy and content it had showed her out on the edge of a forest road sick and dying.

“Grand-mere!” Mathieu cried. “I have to go to her!”

Mathieu dropped the mirror on the table and spun around, gathering his skirts up in his arms to free his legs Mathieu ran for the door. He had not taken more than three steps when Ivan’s large paw wrapped around his bicep and pulled him back into his chest.

“Matvey will not leave.” Ivan hissed into Mathieu’s ear his voice soft and dangerous. “Matvey will stay here with me, even if I have to lock you up.” Ivan began to pull Mathieu out of the room and into a part of the castle that Mathieu had not explored before and didn’t remember from his time living there.

“Non Ivan!” Mathieu screamed as Ivan dragged him down a hall. “Please Ivan don’t! LET ME GO!” Mathieu began to struggle furiously refusing to give in without a fight he kicked and hit Ivan trying to make the large beast let go but Ivan ignored his struggles and pleas. Finally in desperation Mathieu bit the paw that Ivan was holding him with.

Ivan growled as his Matvey bit him the boy was struggling too much making it difficult for Ivan to drag him. He gave a sharp tug on his Matvey’s arm so that the boy stumbled forward. Ivan quickly grabbed Mathieu before he could regain his balance and threw him over his shoulder and continued on his way. But as soon Mathieu had adjusted to his new position on Ivan’s shoulder he began his struggles a new kicking and hitting. He no longer pleaded for Ivan to let him go instead the boy saved all his energy for his struggles, trying desperately to struggle free.

oOo

Ivan strode through the castle halls and down several flights of stairs till he reached the castle dungeons. Ivan was determined that his Matvey would not leave him even if he had to lock him up. Opening one of the cell doors he tossed Mathieu into the small dank musty cell.

“Matvey will not leave me, even if I have to lock him up.” Ivan calmly told the stunned boy as he sat in a pile of old dirty straw looking up at Ivan.

“Ivan please.” Mathieu whispered.

Ivan merely slammed the cell door and walked away the sound of Mathieu crying his name and pleading with him to let him go fallowing him all the way out of the dungeon and back to his room.


	12. Realisation and Forgiveness

**_Chapter 12_ **

Ivan sat in alone in his chambers, watching his Matvey sitting on the mouldy straw and sobbing in the cell Ivan had locked him in. Very gently Ivan set the mirror down and watched the image of the sobbing boy fade. Ivan had found himself in a situation he had never been before. Ivan, for once in his life, didn't know what to do.

He wanted to keep his Matvey locked up so that no one could ever hurt or take him away from Ivan. But keeping Mathieu here, forcing him to stay, that meant that Ivan was hurting him. And what if his grandmother died, out there on the road looking for Mathieu. Ivan wondered if Mathieu would ever forgive him if that happened, if he would ever stop trying to leave.

Ivan was stuck in a place he had never been before stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ivan couldn't let Mathieu go if he did he was scared he would never see Mathieu that the boy would never return to him would leave him alone in this castle, surrounded by only by people who hated him. Ivan knew that if such a thing were to happened he would probably lose his all ready questionable grasp on sanity.

But if he were to keep him here Ivan knew he would lose his Matvey in whole different way and that Mathieu was even less likely to ever return to him. Mathieu would never forgive him. He, would never love him, he would never return his love.

Ivan froze, he loved Mathieu. He loved him in a way he had never loved anyone before, not even his mother. He loved to torment Mathieu make him blush and squirm he loved the way the boy would retaliate something no one had had the courage to do for many many years. But he loved it the most in the moment when Mathieu would forgive him trusting that Ivan would not hurt him, not really. Ivan loved Mathieu's trust in him probably more than anything. No one had really ever trusted him before they had all been too scared to, and Mathieu was scared, he would be a fool not to be but his trust far out weighed the fear. And Ivan had broken that. He had locked him away instead of trusting Mathieu to come back to him.

It was no longer about the curse. For the past 3 years of Ivan's life he had thought only about the curse and only about his suffering, never anyone else. But now, now there was Mathieu, his Matvey and all though Ivan could happily watch the world burn he could not stomach the thought of his love suffering under any of life’s cruelties.

Ivan could not leave Mathieu locked up in the dungeons. He knew that he could never live knowing that the boy hated him and blamed a beloved family members death on him, but he could not let him go. He didn't have the strength to set his Matvey free.

Ivan knew himself well and he knew that he would never be able to unlock the door and watch Mathieu leave, so it would have to be someone else.

Very slowly Ivan took the keys to the dungeon off his belt and set them down on the table by the magic mirror. For a moment his paw rested over them. It took all of Ivan's will power to remove his hand from the keys and leave them out out in the open where someone could easily take them. Very slowly Ivan turned his back on the keys and left the room to go and prowl the gardens, hoping against hope that some of his servants would choose to help the boy rather then leave him in his cell to rott.

oOo

“You WILL help me Arthur.” Francis said quietly the current situation to important for the usual insults he enjoyed trading with the small clock.

“The answer is no Frog!!” Arthur snarled glaring up at the candle holder. “What the hell makes you think that I would help YOU of all people help our LAST chance at breaking this curse ECSCAPE!”

“You will help me because FIRST of all this last chance as you so call him is MY SON! SECONDLY, there is ABSOLUTLY NO CHANCE that my SON will fall in love with that Monster while he is LOCKED UP in the DUNGEONS!” Francis hissed. “And thirdly,” Francis voice became sickingly sweet as he stared coldly at the small clock. “You are made of wood and I will happily burn you till only your brass bits is left it you do  not help me.”

Arthur was silent he could not think of anything to say as a response to what Francis said. Not only was what the candle holder said was true but all so the deadly seriousness in his eyes. The one thing that Arthur detested more then anything about his sometimes friend sometimes lover and all ways enemy, was that he was never serious, he had never once seen the Frog b serious about _anything_ , but now, now he was serious and Arthur wished that he was still just joking around.

Arthur was the first to break eye contact.

“Fine,” Arthur whispered. “Fine, what do you want me to do?”

“I need you to keep the prince busy.” Francis said still not looking away from the small clock.

oOo

Francis slowly pushed open the door to Ivan's room and peeked in making sure that no one was in sight it was supper time and Arthur was going to try and keep the beast at the table for as long as possible, while Francis searched his rooms for the keys to the dungeon. Looking around He decided to start with the large chest of drawers that rested against the far wall.

oOo

Francis had just finished searching through the table beside Ivan's bed and his dresser and found nothing he straightened up to look around the room trying to think of where else Ivan would have put the keys and hoping against hope that Ivan didn't take them with him to super when he saw them, lying innocently on the small round table that held the mirror and the rose were the keys to the dungeon. For a moment he worried about them being so out in the open, but he was willing to risk anything if he could save his son.

Hoping off the bedside table across the room and up onto the table he grabbed the keys and headed for the dungeons.

oOo

Mathieu was lying on mouldy straw crying silently into his arms when a soft ting, ting, ting of metal striking stone reached his ears. Sitting up Mathieu all so became aware of a light that was steadily growing brighter and brighter. Mathieu shot up and raced for the door.

“Papa?” Mathieu called quietly afraid to speak too loudly. “Papa, is that you.”

“Mathieu!” Francis exclaimed hurrying till he was standing just outside Mathieu's cell door. “Oh, my poor patit lapin! I am so sorry! I knew this would happened I should have tried to get you out of the castle sooner!”

“No, Papa. It's not your fault! I should have listened to you,” Mathieu's voice dropped down to a whisper so soft that Francis had to strain to hear him. “You were right.”

Mathieu's voice was filled with such sadness that it broke his father's heart to hear it.

“Enough we do not have time for this!” Francis said not wanting to hear his sons pain so clear in his voice.

With a tremendous hop Francis leaped at the door and managed to stick one of the keys in, but it was the wrong one. It took three tries before he finally found the right key to unlock the door to Matthew's cell. Using his body weight the candle holder managed to turn the key in the lock. With a creak the door swung open a crack.

Quickly Mathieu pushed it the rest of the way open and stumbled out. Bending down he scooped his father into a tight hug.

Francis allowed himself only a moment to hug Matthew back before  he pulled away.

“Mon patit lapin there is no time! You must leave now!” Francis hissed at his son.

With a determined nod Matthew turned on his heel and gathering his skirts in one hand and cradling his Papa in his other he ran for the stables.

oOo

Ivan walked slowly up to his room the little clock had been very annoying tonight and he was glad to get away from him.

The moment that Ivan entered his room the first thing he noticed to both his great relief and great disappointment was that the keys to the dungeon were gone.

Trying to control himself he forced himself walked slowly over to the small table and picked up the little mirror.

“Show me Matvey.” He commanded the small mirror, only the slightest tremble in his hand to show his impatiences.

The mirror fogged and cleared showing him a picture of Mathieu in the stables saddling his horse wearing nothing else then the gown he had been wearing from when Ivan had locked him up.

Worry bloomed in Ivan's chest the nights were getting so cold and Mathieu would freeze in that dress! Taking a moment to grab his warmest cloak Ivan ran down to the stables hopping against hope that he would get there before his Matvey left.

oOo

“So, my Matvey is determined to leave me.”

Mathieu had just finished cinching up  Hanatamago's girth when Ivan's deep voice spoke from behinde him. He spun around, Ivan was standing in the door's shadow watching him, the door's shadow's hiding his face.

“Pl-please Ivan,” Mathieu whispered trembling with fear. “My grandmother needs me.”

Ivan let out a deep sigh and moved towards the boy, as he moved into the light Mathieu could see  his face. It was so sad that Mathieu could feel his heart go out to the beast.

“Oh, my sweet Matvey,” Ivan whispered coming to stand right in front of the boy. “How I wish you would not leave me.” He swung something around Mathieu's shoulders. The boy couldn't help but flinch at the action, but as the warm heavy fabric settled on his shoulders he relaxed and looked up first at Ivan and then down at the warm cloak in surprise. “I wish I could keep you here with me for eternity my sweet Matvey but I could not hurt you in such a way.” Ivan leaned down and pressed his hairy lips to Mathieu's crown. “Be safe my Matvey.”

and with those final words Ivan turned around and walked away.

For a moment Mathieu could only stand in shock, but the moment ended and he shook off his paralysis, he ran to the barn door and looking out of it at Ivan's retreating back he shouted, “I'll come back! I promise!” Ivan stopped and turned around to look at the boy wearing his cloak and his mother dress, he smiled and finished his retreat back into the castle.

oOo

Ivan watched from his room as Mathieu galloped into the woods, away from his castle.


	13. Desire

**_Chapter 13_ **

It was just after sunrise when Mathieu finally found his grandmother. She was lying just off the side of the main road.

Mathieu jumped off of Hanatamago before the horse could even come to a complete halt and raced over to his grandmother’s side.

Kneeling beside his grandmother Mathieu felt for a pulse. His grandmother was cold, very cold and for a moment he all most lost hope. But there! He could just barley feel the weak fluttering’s of a pulse.

Very carefully Mathieu picked her up and put her in Hanatamago’s sadle, when he was sure she was secure, he jumped up behind her and wrapped the large cloak that Ivan had given him around both of them. Clutching his grandmother to his chest Mathieu headed back towards the village as fast as was safely possible while he was carrying the sick old woman.

oOo

Mathieu arrived home with his grandmother just after midday and slowly and carefully carried his Grandmother into the small cottage. He was so preoccupied with t e care of his grandmother that he didn't notice Im-yong soo lurking at the side of the cottage watching them.

As soon as the door was closed Im-yong soo turned and raced back to town to inform Alfred of the return of Mathieu and his grandmother.

oOo

Mathieu knelt by his grandmother's bed holding her hand between his and hoping that she would soon regain consciousness. She hadn't woken up once since he found her on the side of the road, even when he changed her into her warmest dressing gown and surrounded her with hot bricks and tucked her under several warm quilts.

Mathieu bent his head down closed his eyes and prayed that his grandmother would be all right. Suddenly he felt her hand squeeze his, sitting up straight he looked to see his grandmother giving him a weak smile.

“Grandmother,” he sighed in relief a few tears sliding down his cheeks. “How are you?”

“Fi-fine,” Her voice was made harsh by the fever, but the old woman looked up at Mathieu and smiled. Slowly a look of confusion spread across her features. “H-how,” she was unable to finish the sentence as harsh coughs racked her body.

“Grandmother!” Mathieu exclaimed he leaned over and poured his grandmother a glass of water from the pitcher of water on the bed side table. Then supporting her gently he helped to sit up and take a sip. When she signalled she was done he put the glass on the bedside table and gently laid her back down.

Slowly the old woman raised a shaky hand to cup Mathieu's cheek. Her hand was cold and clammy but Mathieu leaned into it anyway, just happy that his Grandmother was still alive.

“H-how did you, you get away?” She rasped as she rubbed slow soothing circles on his cheek with her thumb.

“I didn't,” was Mathieu's soft reply his eyes taking on a far off dreaming look. “Ivan let me go.”

The circles stopped. “Matthew,” his grandmother's raspy voice was serious and full of concern, snapping Matthew back from the spell the thought of Ivan had put him under. He looked down at his grandmother; her face was serious and full of concern. “Matthew,” she repeated when she was sure she had his attention her voice sad. “Ivan doesn't love you. He may have acted like he cares but he does not. He has tricked many others into loving him but he has never retuned those feelings, he is a creature without love my dar-”

“You’re wrong!” Matthew yelled, interrupting his grandmother. “You’re wrong,” he repeated in a quieter voice thought it was no less fierce. “Ivan does love me and I love him.” Matthew stopped surprised by what he said. He looked down staring at the designs in the comforter that lay over his grandmother, turning the words over in his mind, letting their meaning sink into himself and realizing that it was true, he loved Ivan.“ I love Ivan.” He repeated his voice a mere whisper as he took joy in saying them out loud knowing how true they were.

“Mathieu,” his Grandmother said trying to get his attention, to stop her grandson getting carried away and getting hurt. “Mathie-”

BANG BANG BANG. A loud banging on the door interrupted her.

“I better get the door. Mathieu mused, still trapped in his dreams of Ivan and the happieness of when he returned to him. He slowly stood up and headed towards the door.

Mathieu opened the door and peaked out. Yao Wang, the master of the local asylum was not the person Mathieu had expected to see standing outside. However, Mister Yao had never caused Mathieu or his grandmother any problems so he opened the door a bit wider and smiled up at the older gentleman. “Good evening Mr. Wang is there something I can help you with?” Mathieu asked politely.

 

oOo

 

Yao looked down at the smiling youth, who was for some unknown reason wearing a rather grimy dress. He felt a little guilty for doing this to the boy, not that he blamed Alfred for desiring him the boy he was after all a stunning creature and Yao himself had entertained the idea of bring him into his house as his bride. Ah well too late now he supposed.

“Good evening Mathieu.” Yao smiled down at the boy taking his hand and pressing it to his lips, “I'm afraid I am here to collect your Grandmother.” Yao stepped to the side pulling Mathieu with him by the hand he still firmly held to allow the two big burly guards past them.

 

oOo

 

For a moment Mathieu stared at the tall Chinese man in stunned silence but when the two guards brushed past him he began to struggle.

“What? No!” Mathieu screamed as he began to struggle fiercely hitting, kicking and clawing at Yao as he tried to escape the man’s tight hold and get to his Grandmother. When one of the men carried his grandmother out of the building and towards the cart Mathieu’s struggles grew even more desperate till Yao had trouble holding the boy back.

“Poor Mattie!” A happy go lucky voice that Mathieu would be able to recognise anywhere called out freezing him mid struggle. “Having your grandmother taken from you!” the speaker paused dramatically before continuing, “so sad!”

Mathieu turned to see the only person there besides Yao and his men.

“Alfred?” Matthew put a world of questions into the name as he spoke it. Why are you here? What do you want? How did you know this would happen? Why aren’t you helping me?

Alfred simply smiled at Matthew before walking up to the younger boy and wrapping his arms around the younger man in what was probably supposed to be a comforting hug, but Mathieu went rigid the moment he felt the arms wrap around him. Alfred ignored his discomfort pulling him into a tighter embrace.

“Hey, maybe I can help!” Alfred suddenly spoke after a few moments causing the young boy to jump.

Mathieu cautiously looked up at the elder blond his eyes full of hope.

“You, you can?” His voice was hesitant as if he dared not believe Alfred’s words.

“Sure! What are heroes for!” Alfred boomed. “Of course, you will have to something for me in return. After all it’ll take a lot of time and money to get her out and I can’t just do all that for someone I’m not even related to!”

As Alfred continued to speak Mathieu drew as far away as Alfred’s tight embrace would allow him.

“What,” Mathieu asked hesitantly; sure he already knew the answer. “Do you want Alfred?”

“Marry me Mathieu.” Alfred was smiling like a child in a sweet shop but his voice was deadly serious.

Mathieu felt his revulsion of the idea shake him to the core. Alfred must of felt it to because he tightened his grip on the smaller boy with one arm while his other hand went up to take hold of Mathieu’s chin in a bruising grip and turned his head so that Mathieu was looking at his grandmother as she lay weakly in the back of the wagon on some mouldy straw. “Or you could not and abandon your dear grandmother. I wonder how long she’ll last in the asylum, she don’t look so good.”

Mathieu stared at his grandmother as he felt a sob wrack his body.

No, no he had just realised that he loved Ivan, for all his faults and now he was being forced to marry this monster! How could he loose his love so soon!

“Well Mattie, whach ya say?” Alfred asked squeezing Mathieu’s chin again to let him know he had been silent to long.

“Ye-yes!” Mathieu sobbed.

“Good boy.” Alfred said letting go of Mathieu’s chin to pat the sobbing boy on the head. “I’ll get her out after the wedding, just to make sure you don’t get cold feet.” Alfred said carelessly as if he was discussing the weather not someone’s life. “Now give me a kiss.”

When Matthew didn’t move Alfred grabbed his chin again and squeezed adding new bruises to the ones that were already forming.

“I said,” the larger blond snarled. “Give. Me. A. Kiss!”

For a moment Mathieu didn’t move, than he stood on his tip toes placing a single unwilling kiss on Alfred’s lips.

Quickly Alfred grabbed him by his hair to keep him in place and used his other hand to work Mathieu’s mouth open. The moment he got it open he thrust his tongue into Mathieu’s mouth.

The moment that Mathieu felt Alfred’s wet slick muscle force its way into his mouth he began to struggle but no matter what he did he couldn’t force Alfred off of him.

Finally after what seemed like hours Alfred pulled away and let go of him allowing the poor weary boy to drop to his knees.

“We’ll get married in two days.” Alfred told him happily before he turned on his heel and left Mathieu alone at his cottage.

The moment that Alfred had left him Mathieu stood up on shaky legs and stumbled back into the cottage, he stumbled into his grandmother’s room where he had left Ivan’s cloak. Grabbing the soft fur Mathieu fell to his knees and sobbed into it.


	14. Freedom Love and the Truth

**_Chapter 14_ **

_~*~_

_Loveless child_

_I have seen what lies in thy heart_

_It is empty of all compassion for thy fellow man_

_I place upon thee and all who live within these halls this curse_

_Thou shalt bear the form of thy heart_

_The form of a beast_

_Till the rose wilts on thou twenty first year_

_If thou hast learned to love and earned the love of another_

_The spell shalt be broken_

_But, if thou should fail_

_Thou shalt be doomed to remain a beast_

_For all of time_

_~*~_

Ivan lay on the ground curled into the fetal position, as the words wrung through the air everywhere and nowhere all at once.

He whimpered as another jolt of pain sped through his body. He felt like he was on fire! His nerves were burning, his bones melting and reshaping as they pressed against his skin. His muscles felt like they were being torn to bits as they moved to fit the body of the man and not that of a beast and his skin shrunk and tightened around his form. And then in a moment it was all over leaving Ivan breathless and panting on the cold marble floor of his bedroom.

Only once in his life had Ivan ever felt such pain and that had been when the Faery had cursed him.

Which could only mean, faster than Ivan had ever moved before in his life he leapt to his feet and stumbled to the full body mirror in the dressing room and there staring back at him was not the ugly countenance of the beast but instead the face of a young man with blond hair so light as to nearly be white, two purple eyes, a rather large nose and a wide mouth.

Ivan stared at his reflection it had been years since he had seen his human face and he was not yet sure that he believed what he saw. Hesitantly he reached up and gently brushed his nose. It was soft and dry not warm and wet. He smiled and began to run his hands all over his face. He closed his eyes and just relished in feeling of having a human face instead of that of a monster.

Ivan opened his eyes and stared at his reflection again before he realised that this meant that Mathieu loved him.

This meant that Mathieu loved him!

His Matvey loved him! Ivan raced back into the main room and grabbed the small hand mirror completely ignoring the rising sounds of joy and celebration that was coming from the other parts of the castle as the shock of being released from the curse began to wear off the servants.

“Show me Matvey!” He commanded. The glass smoothed and the marks on its surface vanished as if the glass had only been blown yesterday and a picture formed in the depths of the mirror but grew steadily till it filled the whole glass.

_“-fred?” Matthew put a world of questions into the name as he spoke it. Why are you here? What do you want? How did you know this would happen? Why aren’t you helping me?_

_Alfred simply smiled at Matthew before walking up to the younger boy and wrapping his arms around the younger man in what was probably supposed to be a comforting hug, but Mathieu went rigid the moment he felt the arms wrap around him. Alfred ignored his discomfort pulling him into a tighter embrace._

_“Hey, maybe I can help!” Alfred suddenly spoke after a few moments causing the young boy to jump._

_Mathieu cautiously looked up at the elder blond his eyes full of hope._

_“You, you can?” His voice was hesitant as if he dared not believe Alfred’s words._

_“Sure! What are heroes for!” Alfred boomed. “Of course, you will have to something for me in return. After all it’ll take a lot of time and money to get her out and I can’t just do all that for someone I’m not even related to!”_

_As Alfred continued to speak Mathieu drew as far away as Alfred’s tight embrace would allow him._

_“What,” Mathieu asked hesitantly; sure he already knew the answer. “Do you want Alfred?”_

_“Marry me Mathieu.” Alfred was smiling like a child in a sweet shop but his voice was deadly serious._

_Mathieu felt his revulsion of the idea shake him to the core. Alfred must of felt it to because he tightened his grip on the smaller boy with one arm while his other hand went up to take hold of Mathieu’s chin in a bruising grip and turned his head so that Mathieu was looking at his grandmother as she lay weakly in the back of the wagon on some mouldy straw. “Or you could not and abandon your dear grandmother. I wonder how long she’ll last in the asylum, she don’t look so good.”_

_Mathieu stared at his grandmother as he felt a sob wrack his body._

_No, no he had just realised that he loved Ivan, for all his faults and now he was being forced to marry this monster! How could he loose his love so soon!_

_“Well Mattie, whach ya say?” Alfred asked squeezing Mathieu’s chin again to let him know he had been silent too long._

_“Ye-yes!” Mathieu sobbed._

_“Good boy.” Alfred said letting go of Mathieu’s chin to pat the sobbing boy on the head. “I’ll get her out after the wedding, just to make sure you don’t get cold feet.” Alfred said carelessly as if he was discussing the weather not someone’s life. “Now give me a kiss.”_

_When Matthew didn’t move Alfred grabbed his chin again and squeezed adding new bruises to the ones that were already forming._

_“I said,” the larger blond snarled. “Give. Me. A. Kiss!”_

_For a moment Mathieu didn’t move, than he stood on his tip toes placing a single unwilling kiss on Alfred’s lips._

_Quickly Alfred grabbed him by his hair to keep him in place and used his other hand to work Mathieu’s mouth open. The moment he got it open he thrust his tongue into Mathieu’s mouth._

_The moment that Mathieu felt Alfred’s wet slick muscle force its way into his mouth he began to struggle but no matter what he did he couldn’t force Alfred off of him._

_Finally after what seemed like hours Alfred pulled away and let go of him allowing the poor weary boy to drop to his knees._

_“We’ll get married in two days.” Alfred told him happily before he turned on his heel and left Mathieu alone at his cottage._

_The moment that Alfred had left him Mathieu stood up on shaky legs and stumbled back into the cottage, he stumbled into his grandmother’s room where he had left Ivan’s cloak. Grabbing the soft fur Mathieu fell to his knees and sobbed into it._

 

The sound of cracking wood filled the room and part of the table shattered in Ivan’s grip. He looked down at the fixture he had gripped sometime during the scene he had watched in the mirror.

How dare this upstart _peasant_ , howdare he touch what belonged to him. Gently he put down the mirror apparently he needed to go and collect his bride because he couldn’t even handle himself for a single day.

Turning on his heel Ivan marched out of his suit and down to the main hall where most of the sounds of celebration were coming from.

oOo

Francis stared at the door knob on the door to the servant’s stair. It wasn’t that there was anything very particular about the door knob in fact it was a rather plain brass one it was just that it suddenly seemed much closer than it had for all most two and a half years.

Now someone might wonder why of all things it was the door knob that Francis chose to focus on and there are two possible reasons. One might be that Francis shock at being turned back into a human was so great he was simply not able to process anything more complex than the closeness of said knob and why he was now looking down at it instead of up or the other is that Francis simply did not want to think about what the transformation meant, that his son was in love with Ivan and that the two would probably be wed and why was that faery such an idiot! JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE FELL IN LOVE DOES NOT MAKE THEM A GOOD PERSON! And Francis highly doubted that a few short weeks with Mathieu had done anything for that brat’s personality and so he chose to think about why the door handle was suddenly so much closer and he was looking down at it instead of up!

But of course Arthur, the bungling fool, had to ruin everything for Francis by grabbing him in a hug and joyfully spinning the taller man around all the while carolling his joy at being free from the curse.

“We’re human Francis! HUMAN!” Arthur shouted dancing around in a circle, completely ignorant to his companion’s distress. “Human!” he set Francis back down and smiled up at him. “Let’s go find the others! We have to celebrate!”

Arthur grabbed Francis’s hand and dragged him off towards the main hall.

“What is there to celebrate?” The French man quietly asked his oldest friend, his voice lacking its usual dramatics.

“We’re human again! How can you ask such a question! Yes I understand that Matthew is your son but honestly Ivan loves him! It’s not like he is going to hurt him!” The Englishman griped, tiered of his friend’s depression.

“He has already hurt him because he loves him. Ivan has not changed simply because he has found someone to love.”

Arthur paused at the door to the grand hall as he heard his friend’s words, as they truth of those words began to sink in.

It was true simply because Ivan loved Matthew did not mean that Ivan had changed.  Arthur should have known better, a few weeks was not enough time to change habits devolved over a life time.

Just as Arthur reached this conclusion a deep voiced boomed throughout the main hall, immediately silencing all the jubilant voices within.

“I am glad,” Ivan’s voice rang through the hall, filled with barley suppressed rage. “You are enjoying your new found freedom; now the first and fourth garrison will suit up and be ready to ride by tomorrow the rest of you will stay here and prepare for my bride.”

Slowly Arthur opened the door and looked into the now silent hall, just in time to see Ivan’s hulking form leave it.


	15. Death Gossip and a Wedding

**_Chapter 15_ **

The cart rocked and swayed over the many bumps in the road but Mathieu’s grandmother hardly felt them. She was so tired and so cold, where was Mathieu? She had thought that he had come and brought her back to their cottage, it must have just been a fever dream. She yawned she was just so tired, so tired and she was beginning to feel warm, she would just close her eyes for a few minutes and then she would get up and go find her sweet grandchild.

oOo

Yao watched broadly from atop his horse as one of the guards hopped into the back to collect the old lady. It was cold and he didn’t want to be here but Alfred was paying him and paying him well to make sure the old woman remained in his custody. A loud curse startled him and caused his horse to snort and prance.

“What! What is it?!” He snapped glaring at the large man in the back of the wagon.

“The old lady is dead!” The man replied looking at Yao for instruction.

Yao stared at the man in silence for a moment thinking of what needed to be done. Finally he sighed and pointed to the man in the cart. “You wrap the body in a blanket and hide it, and you,” he pointed to the other man. “Go to Alfred’s home and bring him here, tell him it’s an emergency. And neither of you is to breath a word of this, to anyone!”

oOo

Alfred leaned back casually in the seat across from Yao, the news of the death of Matthew’s Grandmother not seeming to affect him at all.

“So we’ll move the wedding up a week” the large blond said carelessly. “I mean as long as Matthew doesn’t find out before the wedding it’s fine.”

 “Alfred, Matthew is going to hate you after this, how do you plan to live with him like that?”  Yao asked, stunned at Alfred’s cruelty towards the boy. It was bad enough that Alfred had taken the Matthew’s Grandmother but to withhold the fact that she had died that was a new low even for him.

“All the laws are on the side of the husband so once we’re married, Matthew will be mine to do with as I please. It won’t matter if he hates me; he’ll belong to me.” Alfred replied callously.

Im Yong Soo shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside Alfred. He had been Alfred’s companion since they were both small children, he had put up with Alfred’s oh so superior attitude and gone along with many of Alfred’s schemes, and not all of them good. He had Alfred steal all a mornings baking from the baker and his wife and then blame it on Kiku, he and Alfred had once scared Farmer Allen’s cows into stampeding through the town during a market day and although no one had been hurt, a lot of damage had been done. And then there was the time that Alfred seduced and impregnated the miller’s daughter. Im Yong Soo had given Alfred an alibi and made the girl look like a scheming desperate wench, the family had sent the girl away and that had always bugged him, but this, this was even worse.

oOo

Yong Soo sat at the kitchen table in his home nursing a beer, trying to decide what he should do about Matthew, what could he do? Should he tell the boy, should he keep quiet? All his life he had gone along with Alfred but this, this just felt like too much. He sighed, he was so confused!

“Brother,” a soft voice broke through his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

Yong Soo turned around in his seat to look at his younger sister Mei.

“It,” for a moment he thought about telling Mei, but he couldn’t he just couldn’t confess. “It’s nothing.” He sighed and looked away.

“It’s Alfred isn’t it?” Mei said calmly looking at her brother as he whipped around to stare at her. “You always get like this when he’s doing something you don’t like.” She took a seat across from Yong Soo with a slightly disproving look. “And will you actually help the poor fool he’s bullying this time or will you help him ruin someone else’s life?”

“I, I…” Im Yong-Soo tried to come up with some excuse, some reason for him not to tell Mei everything, but he couldn’t and soon the whole story was pouring out of his lips.

oOo

Mie listened calmly to the whole story feeling her anger with Alfred build. That stupid selfish man, did he not care for anyone but himself? What was she thinking, it was obvious he didn’t.

 “-And I don’t know what to do!” Im Yong-Soo cried out frustrated, pacing in circles around the kitchen. “I can’t tell Matthew, Alfred will know it was me!”

Suddenly Mei had an idea.

“You said there’s two weeks before the wedding?” Mei asked calmly she could probably manage in a week but two would be better and give more time for Matthew to get away.

“Yeah, no wait Alfred changed it to one, why?”

Well that would give her less time but they lived in a small village and her plan should still work even with a smaller time frame she would just have to make sure to use the right people.

“Brother, don’t worry, I’ve got a plan that should make sure Matthew learns of his Grandmother’s death and has time to escape without Alfred blaming you.”

“How?” Yong Soo asked looking startled at his sister.

“Never you mind.” Mei said calmly, thinking to herself, she had better wait a day or two before she started too soon and it might not work. “Now it’s late and the morning comes early we should be in bed.” And that was the end of the conversation.

oOo

The one thing that Alfred didn’t know about was the fact that in a small town, no secret stays that way for long. And that was Mei’s plan. On the morning of the second day, Mei went out as she usually did to run her errands, and as any other day, she gossiped with the rest of the small town’s female populace running their errands. It was around midmorning and she was visiting the butcher, one of her last stops, and she was gossiping with a few other young girls, including Nelly, the butcher’s daughter and one of biggest gossips in town when she truly put her plan into action.

“Now I can’t tell you where I heard this from but the word is that Matthew’s Grandmother passed away only two days ago from some fever she caught.” There were murmurs of pity for the poor dear Matthew who really was quite a sweet boy and this truly was too bad.

After a few more moments the girls split up.

By the end of the morning Mei had overheard seven conversations about Mathew’s Grandmother and taken part in three, by mid-afternoon news of the wedding had also gotten around and by evening, the rumors about the death of Matthew’s grandmother and how and why he and Alfred were rushing into the wedding.

Some of the rumors said that Alfred was Matthew’s pillar of support and Matthew was clinging on to that support, but many people still remembered the incident of only a few weeks back when Alfred had found him going for a dip in the river and Matthew had refused to marry him and their whispers were influenced by that. So most of the rumors were about Alfred taking advantage of Matthew’s grief and was rushing him through the wedding before the poor dear had a chance to really think about it.

Mei didn’t really care; all that mattered was that by now the rumor of the old ladies’ death was everywhere and more than likely to reach Matthew’s ears before the wedding, all without being traced back to her brother.

oOo

Alfred cursed and threw his beer mug at the wall where it shattered, spilling beer all over the wall and floor.

“What happened?” He snarled at Im Yong Soo. “How the hell did the word get out?”

“I don’t know,” Yong-Soo replied all the while thanking God for his sister. “Maybe one of the guards let something slip to his wife or a servant overhead you and Yang talking about it. Servants never stop gossiping, I don’t think they can.”

“Shit,” Alfred snarled kicking over his chair. What was he gonna do now, Mattie would find out the moment he walked into town, those stupid gossipy women would converge on them telling him their sympathies and yadda yadda yadda, unless. “I want you to guard Mattie for the next week, make sure he doesn’t go into town and that no one visits to him.”


	16. Happily Ever After

**_Chapter 16_ **

Unfortunately for Ivan moving any kind of his army, even so small an amount as twenty men was not quite as easy as simply arming up and leaving. First there was the inspecting and repairing of armour and tools to do; since one of the many things that had not been well attended since the palaces transformation was the weapons and armour, there had simply been no real need for them after the curse had been cast.  Secondly there was the packing which took time and then tending and preparing the horses as well. So by the time they were able to leave a week had passed and Ivan was in a towering rage as the company moved out by sunrise of the seventh day.

oOo

For Mathieu the week had passed all too quickly and yet not quickly enough, and all this time his grandmother was trapped in that awful asylum. He _would_ marry Alfred, and yet he was such a man, his vanity, his selfishness, his pure Arrogance! And Ivan! Oh Ivan how could he live married to Alfred when Ivan was healthy and living. And what would Ivan make of it when he looks into his little mirror and sees him with Alfred or worse what if he looked into the mirror and saw the marriage! He wouldn’t know why Mathieu was doing this he would assume that he had lied, that he didn’t care for him!

Mathieu turned to look into the mirror that hung over the dressing table in his bridal chamber. His sad reflection looked back at him sitting in the white dress that Alfred had picked out for him.

It was a disgusting thing really. Huge voluminous skirts made of delicate silks that have five inches of lace on the hems, which got in the way when he tried to move and he was constantly terrified that he’d step on the delicate trim and rip it. The bodice was more delicate lace and the sleeves where horrible poufy things that made it hard to raise his arms and ended in trailing lace that got tangled up in his hands and worst of all, the corset.

Alfred himself had laced it up to his desires with no thought to Mathieu’s comfort, and he could barely breathe sitting down let alone moving around, Mathieu doubted he’d make it up to the aisle before he fainted. The thing felt more like a cage than clothing, which he thought was oddly appropriate considering the circumstance.

Mathieu tried to bring air into his crushed lungs. He wished he could throw a temper tantrum like a small child, wailing and kicking and screaming but he didn’t have enough air to let out one small sob let alone a wail, so he had to content himself with crying silently his tears dripping down his cheeks and onto the soft silks.

oOo

Marie had been married to the towns baker for nine years and in that time had become one of the most gossiped women in the village as she sold her husband’s goods to the other wives, sisters and daughters of the village and she had learned over time who to listen to as a trusted source, who was full of utter nonsense and who was telling the embellished truth and in this past week she had been using that knowledge more than she ever had to before.

Marie knew Mathieu; she liked him, he was a sweet boy and very shy. She also knew Alfred, he she did not like so much.

Alfred was selfish, shallow and far to used to getting his own way and after the incident a few weeks ago she was absolutely sure that he was taking advantage of Mathieu’s emotional state to force this marriage on him. After all why rush it otherwise and why keep Mathieu in such isolation. Besides she had caught a couple glances of the poor boy and he looked utterly destroyed.

So while she helped her husband finish up the final preparations of the baked goods for the wedding reception she decided she would go see Mathieu before the wedding and see if she couldn’t stop him from making a terrible mistake.

oOo

Marie made it to the bridal chambers only minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. She knocked gently on the door, even if this meant that she would hold up the wedding; she was determined to be gentle with the boy.

A knock on the door startled Mathieu out of his melancholy thoughts. He looked up to see the kind round face of Madam Marie Dupont, the bakers’ wife.

“May I help you Madam?” Mathieu forced a whisper out of his crushed lungs.

“Oh Mathieu, petit, I just wanted to see if you were-“ Marie paused and looked closely at Mathieu who was pale and getting paler by the moment. “Petit! You are turning blue! What is wrong?”

“Corset, it’s… too tight.” Mathieu wheezed.

“Oh dear,” Marie sighed and bustled over to undo the bodice of Mathieu’s dress so that she could get at the corset to loosen it for him, and when she had loosened the wretched thing she made sure that it was barley tied, only tight enough not to slip.

Mathieu took a few gasping breaths refilling his empty lungs before he looked up at madam Dupont with eyes so full of thanks that left her with _no_ doubt that it had been laced so tightly that Mathieu had not been able to breathe at all. Marie waved away any words of thanks he tried to give her.

“Now petit,” Marie crooned comfortingly. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” She picked up a hair brush and began running it through Mathieu’s hair in soothing strokes. “Rushing into this marriage so soon after your Grandmother’s death,” Marie looked up at Mathieu through the mirror.” I wanted you to be sure you, weren’t, making, a, mistake.” Marie slowly trailed off as she watched Mathieu’s face slowly change into a strange emotion that she did not immediately recognise, mostly because she wasn’t expecting to see it. It was total and utter surprise, but that quickly melted away to sadness which changed even faster into an iron cold anger that promised trouble for someone.

“What,” Mathieu asked coldly. “Did you say?”

Um, I, I wanted to, to make sure you weren’t making a, a mis-.”

“No,” Mathieu interrupted, something he had; in Marie’s memory; never done before. “before that.”

 Marie was somewhere in the back of her mind aware that the music for the bridal procession begin.

“Your Grandmothers dead?” She turned the statement into a question.

Mathieu stood up and brushed past Marie with a cold excuse me.

oOo

Mathieu had been shocked, when he had first heard that his grandmamma was dead, surly Alfred wouldn’t be as selfish as that. But then the speed with which Alfred was hurrying through the wedding, and the isolation of the last week. No, this was not something Alfred was above lying about, if it meant he got what he wanted. Mathieu felt a distant grief for his grandmamma, but he pushed it away. He could not afford to be sad right now. He was about to confront Alfred and for that he would need every bit of anger he could dredge up to face that man.

Mathieu strode up the aisle pushing sulky bar maids who were playing the role of bride’s maids today, out of the way.

The pianist stumbled over the notes at the bride’s sudden and furious appearance.

The entire congregation turned to watch Mathieu while Alfred frowned at him. Mathieu stopped at the first row of pews before the sanctuary.

“Wha-“ Alfred began, Mathieu didn’t let him finish.

“Where is my Grandmamma Alfred F. Jones!?” He bellowed louder than anyone in the village had ever heard him yell before, so loud that he could be heard even outside the church.

Murmurs erupted throughout the church, Alfred looked annoyed.

“Not now Mathieu, we’ll talk after the wedd-“

“No Alfred,” Mathieu interrupted, iron in his voice and spine. “You will tell me what you and that man,” Mathieu gestured violently at Yao. “Have done with my Grandmamma and why I have just been told that she is dead!”

“Your grandmother was insane.” Alfred responded. “She came into the pub raving about some monster!”

“My Grandmamma was old and very, very sick! And you blackmailed me into marrying you or else you would have her locked up in the asylum.” Mathieu yelled.

The women in the church gasped and whispered to each other, the men looked affronted and glared darkly at Alfred and Yao gave Alfred a look that let him know that if Alfred was going down he was doing so alone.

Alfred cursed and strode forward, he grabbed Mathieu’s arm but the younger man yanked his arm free ripping the delicate silk of the sleeve and punched Alfred in the jaw.

Silenced rained throughout the chapel.

“I will never marry you Alfred F. Jones.” Mathieu hissed.

Mathieu turned on his heel and picking up as much of the voluminous skirts as he possibly could and strode out of the chapel.

Outside Mathieu took a deep breath and walked forward feeling the tears begin to sting his eyes as he let a bit of his self-control go.

He would go back to the castle, back to his father and most importantly to Ivan, where he would fall into his arms and tell Ivan he loved him.

Sun glittering off something shiny caused Mathieu to look up.

There marching through the village towards the church was a well-armed troop of 20 men lead by a fierce looking man in his early twenties with silvery hair and a large nose.

At first the site of them terrified Mathieu; there was no reason for there to be this troop coming through the village and such things usually meant a raid and that could be very, very bad.

But then he saw the design on the leaders shield, the coat of arms on it was one he was very familiar with and had seen very frequently recently.

It was Ivan’s and that meant, Mathieu looked at the leader again and this time he saw it, the body may be different but the way the man carried himself the air around him was completely Ivan.

Mathieu couldn’t help it and he smiled and ran forward as fast as the dress allowed him.

oOo

Im Yong-Soo stared in shock with the rest of the chapel. Even he had not imagined that Mathieu could be so well, iron willed.

Mathieu had always been quiet, shy and sweet and Im Yong-Soo had thought that when he found out about the truth of the matter would simply run away, not confront Alfred.

Im Yong-Soo watched in shock as Mathieu slapped Alfred before he informed him that he would sooner die than marry the man and stormed out of the church.

The entire village watched him leave in shock. But Im Yong-Soo had grown up with Alfred and knew he would not take such a confrontation well and in this type of situation he knew the person to watch in this situation was Alfred not Mathieu so he turned back to look at the man before anyone else did and he saw the black look Alfred wore and knew that the man was about to do something drastic. He watched as Alfred picked up his gun which was propped up against the wall behind him, and stormed down the aisle and towards the chapel door.

For once in Im Yong-soo’s life he was not going to let Alfred get away with destroying someone else’s life.

oOo

Ivan rode at the head of his men into the village when out of the church came a figure dressed all in white with short curly red blond hair, it was Mathieu.

Mathieu stopped for a moment before he broke into a run towards him. Ivan smiled and kicked his horse into a gallop.

Three feet from Mathieu Ivan leapt off the horse not bothering to stop or even slow it down. He ran forward, his arms stretched out towards Mathieu.

The shot of a gun pierced the air. Both Mathieu and Ivan stumbled to a stop and looked back at the church.

Alfred stood at the bottom of the steps his gun pointed at Mathieu.

Ivan grabbed Mathieu and shoved him behind himself but Alfred did not pull the trigger and Ivan noticed a patch of red spreading across the man’s chest. Alfred dropped his gun and sank to his knees a look of shock on his face before his eyes lost their light and he slumped forward dead.

Im Yong-Soo stood at the top of the steps, smoke curling out of the gun in his hands.

oOo

Ivan stayed in the village only long enough to pardon Im Yong-Soo of the murder of Alfred F. Jones and then he collected Mathieu from the graveyard where he was kneeling next to a small unmarked grave where he had been told that the men from the asylum had buried his Grandmamma. Ivan had promised that he would have a proper gravestone replace the small wooden one.

oOo

As he journeyed home to his castle Mathieu seated in front of him Ivan could not help but smile. Home, he was going home, Ivan had not thought of the castle as home since his mother’s death, it had been a place where no one had loved or cared about him unless it was to get something from him but now, now it was a home again, his home with Mathieu

oOo

Mathieu smiled contently and snuggled further into Ivan’s chest as they rode back towards the castle, his new home where he would live with Ivan and his papa. He glanced up at Ivan who was looking forward a small smile of content on his face.

oOo

The first thing Mathieu did when he got home was throw himself into his papa’s arms and cry out of both happiness and sadness.

The next night he was married to Ivan.

_~And They All Lived Happily Ever After~_


	17. A Tragic End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the alternate ending and it is TRAGIC read at your own risk

_Chapter 16_

_~Alternate Ending~_

Unfortunately for Ivan moving any kind of his army, even so small an amount as twenty men was not quite as easy as simply arming up and leaving. First there was the inspecting and repairing of armour and tools to do; since one of the many things that had not been well attended since the palaces transformation was the weapons and armour, there had simply been no real need for them after the curse had been cast.  Secondly there was the packing which took time and then tending and preparing the horses as well. So by the time they were able to leave a week had passed and Ivan was in a towering rage as the company moved out by sunrise of the seventh day.

 

For Mathieu the week had passed all too quickly and yet not quickly enough, and all this time his grandmother was trapped in that awful asylum. He _would_ marry Alfred, and yet he was such a man, his vanity, his selfishness, his pure Arrogance! And Ivan! Oh Ivan how could he live married to Alfred when Ivan was healthy and living. And what would Ivan make of it when he looks into his little mirror and sees him with Alfred or worse what if he looked into the mirror and saw the marriage! He wouldn’t know why Mathieu was doing this he would assume that he had lied, that he didn’t care for him!

Mathieu turned to look into the mirror that hung over the dressing table in his bridal chamber. His sad reflection looked back at him sitting in the white dress that Alfred had picked out for him.

It was a disgusting thing really. Huge voluminous skirts made of delicate silks that have five inches of lace on the hems, which got in the way when he tried to move and he was constantly terrified that he’d step on the delicate trim and rip it. The bodice was more delicate lace and the sleeves where horrible poufy things that made it hard to raise his arms and ended in trailing lace that got tangled up in his hands and worst of all, the corset.

Alfred himself had laced it up to his desires with no thought to Mathieu’s comfort, and he could barely breathe sitting down let alone moving around, Mathieu doubted he’d make it up to the aisle before he fainted. The thing felt more like a cage than clothing, which he thought was oddly appropriate considering the circumstance.

Mathieu tried to bring air into his crushed lungs. He wished he could throw a temper tantrum like a small child, wailing and kicking and screaming but he didn’t have enough air to let out one small sob let alone a wail, so he had to content himself with crying silently his tears dripping down his cheeks and onto the soft silks.

 

Marie had been married to the towns baker for nine years and in that time had become one of the most gossiped women in the village as she sold her husband’s goods to the other wives, sisters and daughters of the village and she had learned over time who to listen to as a trusted source, who was full of utter nonsense and who was telling the embellished truth and in this past week she had been using that knowledge more than she ever had to before.

Marie knew Mathieu; she liked him, he was a sweet boy and very shy. She also knew Alfred, he she did not like so much.

Alfred was selfish, shallow and far to used to getting his own way and after the incident a few weeks ago she was absolutely sure that he was taking advantage of Mathieu’s emotional state to force this marriage on him. After all why rush it otherwise and why keep Mathieu in such isolation. Besides she had caught a couple glances of the poor boy and he looked utterly destroyed.

So while she helped her husband finish up the final preparations of the baked goods for the wedding reception she decided she would go see Mathieu before the wedding and see if she couldn’t stop him from making a terrible mistake.

 

Marie made it to the bridal chambers only minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. She knocked gently on the door, even if this meant that she would hold up the wedding; she was determined to be gentle with the boy.

A knock on the door startled Mathieu out of his melancholy thoughts. He looked up to see the kind round face of Madam Marie Dupont, the bakers’ wife.

“May I help you Madam?” Mathieu forced a whisper out of his crushed lungs.

“Oh Mathieu, petit, I just wanted to see if you were-“ Marie paused and looked closely at Mathieu who was pale and getting paler by the moment. “Petit! You are turning blue! What is wrong?”

“Corset, it’s… too tight.” Mathieu wheezed.

“Oh dear,” Marie sighed and bustled over to undo the bodice of Mathieu’s dress so that she could get at the corset to loosen it for him, and when she had loosened the wretched thing she made sure that it was barley tied, only tight enough not to slip.

Mathieu took a few gasping breaths refilling his empty lungs before he looked up at madam Dupont with eyes so full of thanks that left her with _no_ doubt that it had been laced so tightly that Mathieu had not been able to breathe at all. Marie waved away any words of thanks he tried to give her.

“Now petit,” Marie crooned comfortingly. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” She picked up a hair brush and began running it through Mathieu’s hair in soothing strokes. “Rushing into this marriage so soon after your Grandmother’s death,” Marie looked up at Mathieu through the mirror.” I wanted you to be sure you, weren’t, making, a, mistake.” Marie slowly trailed off as she watched Mathieu’s face slowly change into a strange emotion that she did not immediately recognise, mostly because she wasn’t expecting to see it. It was total and utter surprise, but that quickly melted away to sadness which changed even faster into an iron cold anger that promised trouble for someone.

“What,” Mathieu asked coldly. “Did you say?”

Um, I, I wanted to, to make sure you weren’t making a, a mis-.”

“No,” Mathieu interrupted, something he had; in Marie’s memory; never done before. “before that.”

 Marie was somewhere in the back of her mind aware that the music for the bridal procession begin.

“Your Grandmothers dead?” She turned the statement into a question.

Mathieu stood up and brushed past Marie with a cold excuse me.

 

Mathieu had been shocked, when he had first heard that his grandmamma was dead, surly Alfred wouldn’t be as selfish as that. But then the speed with which Alfred was hurrying through the wedding, and the isolation of the last week. No, this was not something Alfred was above lying about, if it meant he got what he wanted. Mathieu felt a distant grief for his grandmamma, but he pushed it away. He could not afford to be sad right now. He was about to confront Alfred and for that he would need every bit of anger he could dredge up to face that man.

Mathieu strode up the aisle pushing sulky bar maids who were playing the role of bride’s maids today, out of the way.

The pianist stumbled over the notes at the bride’s sudden and furious appearance.

The entire congregation turned to watch Mathieu while Alfred frowned at him. Mathieu stopped at the first row of pews before the sanctuary.

“Wha-“ Alfred began, Mathieu didn’t let him finish.

“Where is my Grandmamma Alfred F. Jones!?” He bellowed louder than anyone in the village had ever heard him yell before, so loud that he could be heard even outside the church.

Murmurs erupted throughout the church, Alfred looked annoyed.

“Not now Mathieu, we’ll talk after the wedd-“

“No Alfred,” Mathieu interrupted, iron in his voice and spine. “You will tell me what you and that man,” Mathieu gestured violently at Yao. “Have done with my Grandmamma and why I have just been told that she is dead!”

“Your grandmother was insane.” Alfred responded. “She came into the pub raving about some monster!”

“My Grandmamma was old and very, very sick! And you blackmailed me into marrying you or else you would have her locked up in the asylum.” Mathieu yelled.

The women in the church gasped and whispered to each other, the men looked affronted and glared darkly at Alfred and Yao gave Alfred a look that let him know that if Alfred was going down he was doing so alone.

Alfred cursed and strode forward, he grabbed Mathieu’s arm but the younger man yanked his arm free ripping the delicate silk of the sleeve and punched Alfred in the jaw.

Silenced rained throughout the chapel.

“I will never marry you Alfred F. Jones.” Mathieu hissed.

Mathieu turned on his heel and picking up as much of the voluminous skirts as he possibly could and strode out of the chapel.

Outside Mathieu took a deep breath and walked forward feeling the tears begin to sting his eyes as he let a bit of his self-control go.

He would go back to the castle, back to his father and most importantly to Ivan, where he would fall into his arms and tell Ivan he loved him.

Sun glittering off something shiny caused Mathieu to look up.

There marching through the village towards the church was a well-armed troop of 20 men lead by a fierce looking man in his early twenties with silvery hair and a large nose.

At first the site of them terrified Mathieu; there was no reason for there to be this troop coming through the village and such things usually meant a raid and that could be very, very bad.

But then he saw the design on the leaders shield, the coat of arms on it was one he was very familiar with and had seen very frequently recently.

It was Ivan’s and that meant, Mathieu looked at the leader again and this time he saw it, the body may be different but the way the man carried himself the air around him was completely Ivan.

Mathieu couldn’t help it and he smiled and ran forward as fast as the dress allowed him.

 

Ivan rode forward at the head of his men into the village when out of the church came a figure dressed all in white with short curly red blond hair, it was Mathieu.

Mathieu stopped for a moment before he broke into a run towards Ivan; Ivan smiled and kicked his horse into a canter.

A shot rang out.

Only three feet from each other Mathieu dropped to the ground.

Ivan jumped off his horse without waiting for it to stop or even slow down and knelt down by Mathieu’s body. Ever so gently he picked the boy up.

Ivan could feel Mathieu trembling and watched as some blood slipped from between his lips.

“Matvey,” Ivan whispered, brushing away some hairs from Mathieu’s face.

Mathieu looked up into Ivan’s large scared purple eyes and gave the large man a shaky smile.

“Love you.” He whispered with the last of his breath before closing his eyes for the last time.

For a moment it seemed as if the world held its breath before Ivan looked up at Alfred, who stood at the bottom of the church’s steps holding his gun and the rest of village watching in shock behind him, with hate filled eyes.

“Raise the village to the ground.” Ivan roared and the moment broke.

After that it was all a blur screaming, people running for their lives from Ivan’s soldiers, splashes of red blood and the red glow of fire.

Men, women and children as Ivan’s troops spare no one and then when everyone was dead and the fields have been sowed with salt they left.

Ivan didn’t know who killed Alfred and he did not care he had no desire to kill him with his own hands or torture him. Those things would not bring his Matvey back. All he wanted was the man dead!

 

Francis waited impatiently at the castle gates; he was anxious to see his petit lapin again. It was sunset of the second day since Ivan had left and he was getting worried and as time kept slowly passing on he couldn’t help but feel as if something terrible had happened.

The sound of harnesses jingling and trampling of horses hooves made him look up to see the procession of the first and fourth companies with Ivan at the lead and immediately Francis knew something was indeed wrong.

Ivan was carrying a bundle of white and Ivan’s face, oh Ivan’s face it held more anger and hatred than he had ever seen before, before or during the curse.

When Ivan rode past Francis he stopped for a moment and Francis saw what it was Ivan carried. It was Mathieu, his petit lapin and he was dead. He stared at the cold unmoving face.

“I’m sorry,” Ivan whispered, his voice full of such sorrow that it startled Francis and he snapped his head up to look at the Prince and was shocked into standing in place even after the group had ridden past in the grief, pain and utter sadness that had been on Ivan’s face before the mask of hatred and anger had closed over it again.

That was last time Francis ever saw anything but hate and anger on Ivan’s face.


	18. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter applies only to the Alternate Ending

**_Epilogue_ **

Natalia sat curled up in one of the dark corners of the catacombs and tried to stifle her breathing so she made as little noise as possible. As she sat there she thought about how her life had lead up to this moment, hiding from her husband among the dead.

Natalia had always desired Ivan, he was a prince, he had more power and money than anyone she knew and people feared and obeyed him, and if his nose was too large for him to be quite handsome he was still fair to look at she supposed.

She had decided at a young age that she would marry him and become first a princess and then a queen.

When the curse had happened she thought it had been her own good luck and had been one of the first to try to break the spell. Unfortunately it was greed not love that had driven her to attempt this and so she had been one of the first to fail and had been sent away.

When she heard that the curse was broken but that the one who had broken it was dead, she had returned to the palace ready to comfort and then seduce Ivan into marrying her.

She had never gotten the chance to comfort Ivan for he never grieved for his lost love he had instead locked that emotion away and had let anger and hate spring up in its place.

A week after Natalia had arrived at the palace she had been wedded to Ivan and that night when they consummated their marriage Ivan had done so coldly taking no apparent pleasure in the act. Once they had finished he had left and had not touched her or even so much as shared a room let alone a bed with her since, she did not know where her husband slept and she no longer cared.

She had learned quickly it was better to avoid Ivan. Her mere presence seemed to annoy him and he was a very heavy handed man. She had taken to hiding when he was home for as time passed his temper had seemed to worsen and he would actively search her out to torment and harass her.

Her one comfort was that Ivan did not spend much time at home. Shortly after the wedding Ivan had left to go and expand his kingdom, and expand it he did. He was often away with his army increasing the borders of his now rather substantial kingdom.

When he was gone away from the castle with his army it was the only time Natalia felt safe and even moderately content with the hell her life had become.

Regrettably, for her at the moment Ivan was home and had only just arrived yesterday so he would be staying for at least a month; hence the reason she was hiding at the moment; she did not want to have to deal with that man for even a moment and had awakened extra early just so she could find an ideal place to hide from him.

The sound of footsteps that she had learned to recognise all to well on the stairs startled her, she had not expected Ivan to come down here, no one ever came down here but the old butler who ran the house hold. But yet here Ivan was. Natalia hardly dared to breathe as the sound of his footsteps got closer and closer. Oh, what on earth could Ivan want down here!

The footsteps stopped for a moment before there was a flash of light as a torch was lit and then Ivan was moving again. Natalia pressed herself further back into the shadows to avoid detection.

Finally the footsteps stopped, by the sounds of it near the newer tombs close to the stairs. There was what sounded like the rustling of flowers and Natalia peeked cautiously out of her corner to watch as Ivan removed old and wilted flowers and replaced them with new ones.

Natalia realised then that this was the tomb of the person who had broken the enchantment upon the castle, the person Ivan loved.

She watched in rapt fascination as after he had changed the flowers Ivan bent over the marble effigy of his love and kissed its cold lips.

She watched as he knelt by the figures head and whispered words that she could not hear into the stone ears and then for the first time she saw as Ivan mourned for his dead love, she watched as eventually his whispering stopped and his shoulders began to shake and he wept as she had never seen anyone weep before over the cold dead figure.

Quickly she pulled back into the shadows of her hiding place knowing with dreadful certainty that should Ivan catch her there her life would be worth even less then it was now, so she hid and concentrated on being silent and invisible, and hoping Ivan would leave soon so that she could go and find a safer hiding place.

But Ivan did not leave, he stayed at the side of the tomb till he fell asleep on the cold stone floor, nor did he leave when he woke up, he did not leave till near supper time of the second day and Natalia could hardly move, her joints and bones were stiff from sitting on the cold stones. But eventually she managed to stagger to her feet and go in search of a better place to hide with the new knowledge of where her husband slept the nights he stayed in his castle.


End file.
